2025 Club World Cup Round of 16: Matchups, Dates, and Kickoff Times
by Tyler Doty | by Tyler Doty
2025 Club World Cup Round of 16
The Round of 16 matchups for the 2025 Club World Cup are set following the close of the group stage, and fans can look forward to some high-profile clashes. Since this is a short-format tournament, FIFA chose to skip a draw (unlike the Champions League), so the bracket was locked in ahead of time.
June 28th (All times are Eastern Time)
- 12:00 p.m. Palmeiras vs. Botafogo (Lincoln Financial Field)
- 4:00 p.m. Benfica vs. Chelsea (Bank of America Stadium)
June 29th
- 12:00 p.m. PSG vs. Inter Miami (Mercedes-Benz Stadium)
- 4:00 p.m. Flamengo vs. Bayern Munich (Hard Rock Stadium)
June 30th
- 3:00 p.m. Inter Milan vs. Fluminense (Bank of America Stadium)
- 9:00 p.m. Manchester City vs. Al-Hilal (Camping World Stadium)
July 1st
- 3:00 p.m. Real Madrid vs. Juventus (Hard Rock Stadium)
- 9:00 p.m. Borussia Dortmund vs. Monterrey (Mercedes-Benz Stadium)
The Power of Europe’s Giants
Real Madrid, a five-time Club World Cup champion, is once again among the tournament favorites. They finished group play with a strong 3-0 win over Salzburg, showing they’ve hit their stride after a few early stumbles. Now they’ll face a shaky Juventus side that was thrashed 5-2 by Manchester City. All signs point to Madrid moving on.
Speaking of City, the reigning Premier League champs are next in line among the favorites. They cruised through their group with three straight wins and 13 goals, putting their midseason struggles behind them. Erling Haaland is back in rhythm, and new additions like Rayan Cherki, Omar Marmoush, and Savinho are clicking. City shouldn’t have much trouble against Al-Hilal.
PSG can’t be overlooked either. The newly crowned Champions League winners enter the knockouts in top form under manager Luis Enrique. They’re heavily favored against Inter Miami, even with Messi, Suárez, Alba, and Busquets on the other side. That said, the emotional subplot of those stars facing their former coach from Barça adds plenty of intrigue.
Underpowered MLS Teams
While the European giants mostly performed as expected, dominating their respective groups, the MLS teams also (unfortunately) met expectations. Considering pre-tournament odds, all of the MLS teams were among the bottom of the outright lists, except for Inter Miami, led by Messi and Co.
Inter Miami performed well in the group stage, making it through without suffering a defeat. Perhaps the most surprising result came against Porto. It was an uphill battle from the beginning following an early penalty being awarded in the 8th minute of the match, which was easily converted by the up-and-coming Spanish striker, Samu Aghehowa. Inter Miami responded in the second half with a strike from Telasco Segovia and then a goal in the 54th minute by none other than Lionel Messi.
For the other MLS teams in the tournament, LAFC and Seattle Sounders, things weren't as easy. Both teams failed to win a single match in the tournament. Seattle arguably had the most difficult group of the bunch, matched up against Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, and 2025 Champions League winners, PSG. LAFC managed to scrape out a draw against Flamengo in their final match, but it wasn't enough to make it to the round of 16. To the surprise of few, even the strongest MLS teams aren't on a competitive level with their South American counterparts, and are leagues away from the European giants.
Hope Still Alive South of the Border
All four Brazilian teams advanced to the knockout stage, though one is guaranteed to go home as Palmeiras will face Botafogo in a domestic showdown. Palmeiras has looked sharper, but Botafogo comes in as the defending Copa Libertadores champion.
Elsewhere, Fluminense faces a tough test against Inter Milan, but it’s not impossible. Inter has shown signs of inconsistency. Flamengo, meanwhile, takes on Bayern Munich, which is a giant challenge, but they already shocked Chelsea with a 3-1 win. With their European reinforcements, Flamengo might be poised for another upset.
Finally, two matchups look especially even. Benfica vs. Chelsea features two teams trying to stabilize projects that have seen plenty of ups and downs. This one could be a goal fest. Borussia Dortmund vs. Monterrey might be tighter than expected. Dortmund’s form has been shaky, and Monterrey, led by Sergio Ramos, is known for locking down games defensively and stealing results late.
