With the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup just a few days away and all teams scampering about with last-minute preparations, we take a look at the final group of the tournament.
Al-Hilal made it to the tournament by winning the AFC Champions League in 2021.
Real Madrid won the UEFA Champions League twice — in 2021/22 and in 2023/24 — thereby securing their passage to the tournament.
Pachuca won the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup to seal a spot in the competition.
Salzburg, meanwhile, made it through as one of UEFA’s highest-ranked sides during the 2021–24 cycle.
Al-Hilal are comfortably the strongest non-European team in this tournament. One of Saudi Arabia’s and Asia’s best teams, they boast a glut of stars in Rúben Neves, João Cancelo, Aleksandar Mitrovic, Salem Al-Dawsari, and Kalidou Koulibaly, with enough pedigree in their ranks to go toe-to-toe with almost every competing European outfit. They are further bolstered by the recent arrival of former Inter Milan boss Simone Inzaghi, who led the Nerazzurri to several trophies during his four-year stay at San Siro.
Real Madrid will always be considered the standard-bearers in any competition they participate in given their rich and successful pedigree. The 15-time UEFA Champions League/European Cup winners will look to put behind themselves a disappointing season, and they have already added some new faces. With new head coach Xabi Alonso and defensive additions in Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dean Huijsen to bolster an already star-studded line-up featuring Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior, Rodrygo, and Jude Bellingham, Los Blancos are expected to make a full tilt at winning this tournament.
Pachuca, meanwhile, do not have much star power in comparison. They will be relying on the experience and leadership of veteran Venezuelan forward Salomón Rondón as they look to make a good impression.
Finally, Salzburg are the dark horses of this group. They are always underrated in European competitions, and this tournament will be no different. With players like Oscar Gloukh, Bobby Clark, and Nene Dorgeles, the Austrian outfit will look to take their opponents by surprise.
This is not a difficult group to predict. Salzburg will be tricky opponents and make life difficult for the big sides in this group, while underdogs Pachuca will want to cause a shock or two. However, it is very hard to look past Real Madrid and Al-Hilal in terms of which sides make it out of the group. Both teams are strong, have big-game experience, and boast quality in all areas of the pitch.
We back Al-Hilal to qualify as group winners and Real Madrid as runners-up.
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