Club World Cup 2025: Group stage matches to watch

The 2025 Club World Cup group stage is packed with storylines, and Coral picks out the key matches to follow as the world’s best football teams head to the USA.

It’s the first instalment of the expanded 32-team format, and we’ve got everything you need to follow the action from the United States.

Real Madrid lead the outright betting to lift the trophy, with PSG and Manchester City not far behind.

The expanded 2025 FIFA Club World Cup brings some mouth-watering fixtures, and the group stage throws up more than a few heavyweight clashes. With 32 teams involved for the first time, there’s plenty of drama in store before the knockout rounds even begin.

Here are some of the biggest group games to keep an eye on this summer.

The full Club World Cup schedule is out, but here at Coral we’ve picked ten of the most interesting group stage matches to watch closely this summer.

• Sunday 15 June, 1am BST at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami

The tournament kicks off with Lionel Messi and Inter Miami hosting Al Ahly in front of a home crowd in Florida. It’s a box-office opener, with Messi joined by his old Barcelona teammates Luis Suárez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, a reunion that guarantees attention even if the legs aren’t what they once were.

Al Ahly are no strangers to this stage. They’ve finished third four times and will see this as a real opportunity to land an early blow in a tough group. Inter Miami have the star names, but Al Ahly have the experience and they won’t be overawed.

• Sunday 15 June, 11pm BST at MetLife Stadium, New Jersey

One of the more evenly matched games in the group stage sees Porto take on Palmeiras. Porto come into the tournament off the back of a disappointing domestic campaign, while Palmeiras are packed with young talent and tournament pedigree.

It’ll be the first real look for many at 18-year-old wonderkid Estevão Willian, who's already set to join Chelsea, and he’s got the quality to make an early impression. With Messi and friends still to come, three points here could go a long way towards topping Group A.

• Sunday June 15, 8pm BST at Rose Bowl, Pasadena

Two of Europe’s biggest clubs go head-to-head in what could be the standout fixture of the group stage. PSG arrive as newly crowned Champions League winners, with Ousmane Dembélé playing some of the best football of his career and firmly in the Ballon d'Or conversation.

These sides met competitively for the first time earlier this season, with Atletico securing a 2-1 victory in Paris despite having just 30% possession. It was a vintage Diego Simeone performance, sealed with a stoppage-time winner, and the Parisians will want to set the record straight in this Group B opener.

• Saturday 21st June, 2am BST at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami

A meeting between continental heavyweights that promises to deliver one of the memorable moments of the group stage. Bayern Munich arrive in confident mood after reclaiming the Bundesliga title and are among the favourites to go all the way in the United States.

Much of the spotlight will fall on Harry Kane, who enjoyed a prolific domestic season and is one of the leading contenders for the Golden Boot. Boca Juniors, backed by a vocal travelling support, bring grit, experience and a real threat through veteran forward Edinson Cavani.

• Tuesday 24 June, 8pm BST at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte

This all-European tie rounds off Group C and could be a straight shootout for top spot. Bayern are unbeaten in their last eleven meetings with Benfica, and while the record leans heavily in their favour, this version of the German side is still finding its feet under Vincent Kompany.

Benfica carry a threat, especially through Ángel Di María’s creativity and the sharp movement of Vangelis Pavlidis. They’ll need to be clinical, because Bayern are always dangerous going the other way, with Jamal Musiala orchestrating play and Michael Olise adding a new attacking edge.

• Friday 20 June, 7pm BST at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia

Chelsea arrive in strong form after ending the season with a top-four finish and a European trophy, and they are one of just two Premier League sides taking part in this summer’s tournament. A quick turnaround won’t help preparation, but the squad’s depth should be enough to manage the load.

Flamengo are led by former Chelsea defender Filipe Luís and bring plenty of quality, including ex-Blues midfielder Jorginho and the inventive Giorgian de Arrascaeta, one of South America’s most consistent creative players. Esperance and LAFC are the other teams in Group D after Club Leon were removed.

• Thursday 26 June, 2am BST at Lumen Field, Seattle

Inter arrive off the back of a frustrating season, missing out on the Serie A title to Napoli and falling to PSG in the Champions League final. Simone Inzaghi has since departed for Al Hilal, with Cristian Chivu stepping in to lead a squad still boasting quality in Lautaro Martínez, Nicolò Barella and Alessandro Bastoni.

River Plate will be well organised under Marcelo Gallardo and carry real threat going forward, especially with teenage talent Franco Mastantuono staying on after Real Madrid failed to finalise a deal in time for the start of the tournament. They will fancy their chances to get out of Group E ahead of Monterrey and Urawa Red Diamonds.

• Saturday 21 June, 5pm BST at TQL Stadium, Cincinnati

Dortmund may be favourites on paper, but Group F is wide open and Sundowns are more than capable of causing problems. The South African champions have dominated domestically, winning eight league titles in a row, and bring cohesion, experience and flair through Brazilian winger Lucas Ribeiro.

Despite an inconsistent season, Dortmund still have plenty of quality in attack. Jamie Bynoe-Gittens remains in the squad after interest from Chelsea, while Serhou Guirassy is one to watch in the Golden Boot race. The Germans finished strongly under new boss Niko Kovac to seal 4th spot in the Bundesliga, and will look to carry that momentum into the summer.

• Thursday 26 June, 8pm BST at Camping World Stadium, Orlando

Two European heavyweights meet in one of the group stage’s most intriguing ties, even if neither side is quite at their peak. City ended last season without silverware, while Juventus have now gone five years without a Serie A title. Both sides will expect to progress from Group G.

Erling Haaland and Dušan Vlahović lead the line in what could be a battle of the number nines. Juventus won the last meeting in the Champions League group stage, and with Pep Guardiola now without Kevin De Bruyne but boosted by Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Aït-Nouri, there are still questions about how this new-look City side will shape up.

• Wednesday 18 June, 8pm BST at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami

This Group H encounter is a rematch of the 2022 final, where Real Madrid ran out 5–3 winners to claim their fifth Club World Cup title. They return to the tournament looking to end a season without silverware on a high, but face a tricky matchup against Al Hilal.

There have been big changes at the Bernabéu, with Xabi Alonso now in charge and new signings including Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dean Huijsen already on board. Al Hilal should not be taken lightly, with the likes of Aleksandar Mitrović, Rúben Neves and João Cancelo in the squad, and Simone Inzaghi now at the helm after arriving from Inter.

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All odds and markets are correct as of the date of publication.