The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup is off and running, and has produced plenty of talking points and storylines already. Let’s catch you up on what’s happening, what you’ve missed and what’s still to come.
We will update this file throughout each matchday with the latest reporting, analysis and fun from the competition.
The lead: Alonso’s Real Madrid find their groove to win their group
PHILADELPHIA — As the rain fell in Philadelphia, Xabi Alonso’s Real Madrid started to take shape. This was, by some distance, Madrid’s best group stage performance at this Club World Cup, with a new formation — Alonso’s favored three-at-the-back — a new sense of certainty of purpose, and a reborn Vinícius Júnior scoring a superb goal, and providing a backheel assist for Federico Valverde. By halftime at Lincoln Financial Field, Madrid were already 2-0 up, and out of sight.
Until now, circumstances — notably a long injury list — had limited Alonso’s freedom to pick the team that he really wants to. Here, for the first time, Antonio Rüdiger was fit to start in a back three alongside Dean Huijsen and Aurélien Tchouaméni. In the moments before kickoff, before reaching for a raincoat, Alonso spoke to Tchouaméni on the touchline, sharing some last-minute instructions. Whatever they were, it worked. Madrid have long been wedded to a back four, but watching them here, you wouldn’t know it.
Editor’s Picks
2 Related
Ahead of the defense, Valverde and Arda Güler sat in a well-balanced double pivot. On either side of them, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Fran García were free to push forward, playing to their attacking strengths. Jude Bellingham — who worked hard without the ball, and was decisive with it — played as an inside-right, with Vinícius on the left, and Gonzalo García in constant motion up front.
It was a formation which seemed to suit all of the players: simultaneously fresh, but comfortable. And the fans in the stadium, the overwhelming majority of them Madridistas, enjoyed every minute, despite the pouring rain.
After 20 minutes, Vinicius could have put Madrid ahead, but his shot was saved by RB Salzburg goalkeeper Christian Zawieschitzky. It was the first sign that the Brazilian was finding his form. Previously at this tournament, Vinicius had looked unsure and awkward, as likely to trip while attempting a rainbow flick as to be influential.
But there was nothing hesitant about his finish in the 40th minute to make it 1-0, collecting Bellingham’s visionary pass, finding space with a change of direction, and shooting low into the corner. His role in Madrid’s second goal, just before halftime, was equally incisive, backheeling the ball into Valverde’s path for a straightforward finish.
Salzburg had their moments in the second half, but Thibaut Courtois was there to make his usual saves, and when he was beaten once, in the 66th minute, Bellingham was there to clear off the line. There was never really a sense of a way back into the game for the Austrians, even before García made it 3-0 in the 84th minute. It’s now two goals and an assist for the 21-year-old in three games.
So Madrid top Group H, and will play Juventus in Miami on Tuesday in the round of 16, with the feeling that, unquestionably now, they’re heading in the right direction. — Alex Kirkland
Today’s top Club World Cup news
• Haaland outpaces Messi, Mbappé to 300 goals
• Xabi Alonso calls on Vini, Mbappé to improve off the ball
• Connelly: Why every last-16 team will, won’t win
Sights and sounds around FIFA Club World Cup
Rayan Aït-Nouri shows class in Man City win over Juventus
ORLANDO, Fla. — Manchester City haven’t had a recognized left back in the squad for nearly four years, but Rayan Aït-Nouri seems determined to show Pep Guardiola what he’s been missing, playing a key role in Thursday’s 5-2 win over Juventus.
It was August 2021 when City last played with a proper left back — Benjamin Mendy’s final appearance before he was suspended by the club. Guardiola has made do in the meantime with a series of stopgaps. Nathan Aké, João Cancelo, Aymeric Laporte, Josko Gvardiol and Nico O’Reilly have all filled in. Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden were pressed into action during in-game emergencies.
Aït-Nouri, though, is already showing the benefits of having a specialist. After arriving from Wolverhampton Wanderers ahead of the Club World Cup, the 24-year-old was so bright on his debut against Al Ain that when Guardiola was asked to assess his performance, he simply said: “Wow.”
The City boss picked a stronger team against Juventus — handing starts to Rodri and Rúben Dias for the first time — and Aït-Nouri was even better. He created two big chances inside the opening 10 minutes. After just four minutes, the Algerian — playing high up the pitch and tucked into midfield at times — arrowed a cross at Bernardo Silva, who saw his header saved. Moments later, it was Aït-Nouri’s pinpoint pass through the Juventus defense that allowed Jérémy Doku to cut inside and score the first in what was an impressive win over the Italian side at Camping World Stadium. Aït-Nouri almost capped his first-half performance with a goal of his own, but his shot into the turf from outside the box was stopped from nestling in the corner by a diving Michele Di Gregorio.
It’s exactly the kind of attacking output that Aït-Nouri was brought in to produce. He got five goals for Wolves in all competitions last season. Perhaps even more impressive was his seven Premier League assists. That matched Kevin De Bruyne’s output and was one more than Trent Alexander-Arnold.
It’s still early days, but Aït-Nouri looks to have filled a gaping hole in Guardiola’s team. And having signed a fee of only £31 million, he could yet go down as one of the transfers of the summer. — Rob Dawson
Vlahovic struggles in his Premier League audition
Dusan Vlahovic is arguably the player who has been linked most with a move to the Premier League without actually coming close to a transfer to England’s top flight. The Juventus forward went into the Group G clash against Manchester City with reports in Italy suggesting that he is on Manchester United’s list of summer targets.
PERSONALIZE YOUR CWC EXPERIENCE
Follow the teams you love, ignore the ones you don’t. The ESPN App is the best way to get the live scores, news and videos you want ANYWHERE, ANYTIME.
• Download ESPN from Google Play Store
• Download ESPN from iTunes App Store
• Club World Cup homepage | Bracket | Best kits
DOWNLOAD
In the past, the 25-year-old has been targeted by Arsenal, Chelsea, West Ham United, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur, but after hitting 49 goals in 108 games for Fiorentina, he opted to stay in Italy with a move to Juventus in 2022. With Juventus open to offers for Vlahovic this summer, the game against City was a chance to prove his credentials to United, or any other major club in the market for a new striker, but the Serbia forward had a frustrating 90 minutes against Pep Guardiola’s side in Orlando.
Vlahovic missed two good chances before finally getting on the scoresheet in the 84th minute — when the game was lost for Juventus, who had already conceded five against City. And while he took his goal well to make the score 5-2, Vlahovic struggled against City defenders Ruben Dias and Manuel Akanji and did little to suggest he could be the answer to United’s goalscoring problems. — Mark Ogden
Alonso’s impact as Real Madrid boss starting to notice
PHILADELPHIA — Xabi Alonso is already putting his stamp on Real Madrid. After two standout seasons at Bayer Leverkusen, the Spanish manager was chosen by club president Florentino Pérez to take over from Carlo Ancelotti. And just three games into his spell, he is showing why.
The team started the competition in a familiar 4-3-3 setup, but by the end of the match against Pachuca, Alonso had switched to a five-man backline, a change he kept in place for the 3-0 win over RB Salzburg. In Philadelphia, Aurélien Tchouaméni dropped into the back three, playing between Antonio Rüdiger and Dean Huijsen.
Further up the pitch, Federico Valverde anchored the midfield with Jude Bellingham and Arda Güler. In attack, Vinicius Júnior partnered with Gonzalo García, forming a front two that shaped the team into a 3-5-2 when in possession and a 5-3-2 out of possession.
Alonso’s tactical flexibility and attention to structure are already evident. If these early matches are any indication, Real Madrid under him could become one of the most tactically sophisticated sides in Europe. — Gustavo Hofman, ESPN Brazil
Al Ain exit tourney with win over Wydad
With no consequences on Thursday, Al Ain finished their Club World Cup participation with a breezy, busy 2-1 win over Wydad AC in Nashville to ensure they went home on a high note.
It has been a tough tournament for the 2023-24 AFC Champions League winners, whose naive defending was picked apart to the tune of 11 goals by Man City and Juventus. Early in Thursday’s clash, it looked to be another long afternoon as the Moroccan side found the net inside four minutes: right back Mohamed Moufid’s low cross found Cassius Mailula unmarked in the box, and Mailula had time to control and fire into the top corner beyond Rui Patrício.
Wydad opens the scoring early through Milleola ⚽🇲🇦
Watch the @FIFACWC | June 14 – July 13 | Every Game | Free | https://t.co/i0K4eUu4lJ | #FIFACWC #TakeItToTheWorld #WACAINpic.twitter.com/WjX24LgJhW
— DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) June 26, 2025
Yet Al Ain quickly regrouped and bossed much of the first half, with eight shots and over 60% of the ball. They got their well-deserved equalizer in first-half injury time, with Kodjo Fo-Doh Laba converting a penalty — after some 30 seconds of waiting — following Ayoub Boucheta’s clumsy challenge. Then, just five minutes into the second half, they scored again in somewhat controversial fashion. Kaku’s curled, left-footed finish from 15 yards out was highlight-worthy, but rewatching his goal reveals Al Ain’s good fortune. Matías Palacios looked to have lost possession inside the area after a clumsy touch, but remarkably, he won the loose ball with a heavy challenge — one lucky not to have been reviewed — before getting back to his feet and finding Romero unmarked for the elegant finish.
A mistake by the Wydad defender leads to the second goal for the Al-Ain leader 🟣
Watch the @FIFACWC | June 14 – July 13 | Every Game | Free | https://t.co/i0K4eUtwwb | #FIFACWC #TakeItToTheWorld #WACAINpic.twitter.com/WiCzc158Y3
— DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) June 26, 2025
The second half played out at a gentler pace from there, with Al Ain preventing Wydad from registering a single shot on target en route to victory.
In the end, Group G was really the only group to be resolved before the final round of games, which is a cruel fate for two teams that brought plenty of panache in their carry-on luggage for this Club World Cup party. — James Tyler
On the last day, Al Hilal snatch qualification
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Al Hilal survived Group H and, along with Real Madrid, advanced to the round of 16 of the Club World Cup thanks to a 2-0 victory over Pachuca in the final match of the group stage, with goals from Salem Al-Dawsari and Marcos Leonardo.
At a Geodis Park with almost half the attendance — 14,147 in a venue with a capacity of 30,000 — the Saudi Pro League team led by Simone Inzaghi bid farewell to the Mexican team, who will return to Charlotte that same night and on Friday, will return to Mexico to prepare for the 2025 Liga MX Apertura tournament.
Pachuca remains one of the worst teams in the tournament, failing to earn a single point, along with the Seattle Sounders, Urawa Red Diamonds, Ulsan HD, and Wydad AC. — Armando Neria, ESPN Mexico
