With the major European leagues drawing to a close, the next big event to look forward to is the inaugural FIFA Club World Cup, being held in the US from June 14 to July 3.
With 32 top clubs participating from all over the globe, the CWC is expected to be a great spectacle as some of the biggest names in the sport compete for some of the biggest clubs in world football.
Here, we look at some major names to watch out for at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
FIFA Club World Cup 2025: Players to watch out for
Yassine Bounou (Al-Hilal SFC | Morocco)
Yassine Bounou is a Moroccan goalkeeper who plays for Al-Hilal in the Saudi Pro League. In 31 appearances the recently concluded season, “Bono” kept nine clean sheets for his team.
The veteran Moroccan keeper came to prominence during the 2022 FIFA World Cup, when he kept four clean sheets and played a key part in his team’s route to the semi-finals. He also won the Saudi Pro League with Al-Hilal in 2023/24 and the Saudi Super Cup in 2023 and 2024.
The 6’5″ goalkeeper is a top-class shot-stopper who is particularly good at saving penalties. A massive presence, the 34-year-old also possesses quick reflexes and excellent footwork.
Julián Alvarez (Club Atlético de Madrid | Argentina)
Many eyebrows were raised when Julián Alvarez made a big-money move to Atlético Madrid last summer. However, the Argentine has silenced all his doubters with an exceptional debut season. In LaLiga alone, he scored 17 goals and racked up four assists in 37 games in 2024/25. In the UEFA Champions League, he bagged seven goals and an assist in ten games.
The 2022 World Cup winner is an absolute menace for defenders. His positional awareness, ability to link up play, and clinical finishing are hallmarks of any top striker. In addition, he is lethal on set pieces.
Having also won the Copa América in 2021 and 2024, Alvarez has the experience to perform at major tournaments. There’s every chance he shines at this Club World Cup and takes Atleti to the latter stages.
Michael Olise (FC Bayern Munich | France)
Michael Olise made the switch from Crystal Palace in England to Bayern Munich in Germany last summer. With top English clubs interested in him, it was a surprise to many when he joined the Bavarian giants.
The talented French midfielder took to the German Bundesliga like a fish to water. In 34 league games, he scored 12 goals and bagged 18 assists in his debut campaign, helping Munich to the title. In 14 UCL games, he scored five goals and provided two assists, helping Bayern reach the quarter-finals.
Olise is an attacking midfielder who can also play as a winger. A left-footed player, he can play centrally and on either flank. He has decent pace and acceleration, is adept at dribbling in tight spaces, and also possesses a great range of passing. It is very likely he carries his good form into the Club World Cup.
Carlos Palacios (CA Boca Juniors | Chile)
Carlos Palacios is a 24-year-old Chilean midfielder who plays for Argentine club Boca Juniors. He also played for the Chilean National team in the 2022 World Cup Qualifiers.
This season in the Argentine Primera División, Palacios has scored 3 goals and bagged 3 assists in 15 games for Boca Juniors. Carlos Palacios is an attacking midfielder who is versatile and can play on either wing as well. In addition, Palacios possesses a wide range of passing skills with an eye for a defence-splitting pass or a through ball. He has an aggressive style of play with the ability to find space and execute difficult passes.
The Chilean midfielder has been one of the vital players in the Boca Juniors side and will definitely be one to watch out for in this very competitive Club World Cup.
Jamie Gittens (Borussia Dortmund | England)
20-year-old English winger Jamie Gittens is another interesting player to watch out for. Gittens plays for Borussia Dortmund in the German Bundesliga. In 32 league games this season, Gittens has provided goal contributions of 8 goals and 3 assists. For a young player, that is a decent return. Even in the CL, he has scored four goals for Dortmund.
Gittens is a right-footed winger known for his aggressive style of play. He likes to take on opponents in 1v1, using his pace and trickery to beat defenders. He is a modern-day winger who prefers to play out wide and move inside. He has exceptional pace, acceleration and dribbling skills that are the highlight of his playing style.
A young, exciting player that is relatively raw and has the potential to develop into a top-class player, another young talented player to watch out for at this Club World Cup.
Cole Palmer (Chelsea FC | England)
Cole Palmer has been one of the standout players for Chelsea for the past two seasons. Even though the Blues failed to achieve Champions League football last season, the England attacking midfielder has been the only bright spot for the London outfit. This season as well, he has led their charge for getting back into CL places with 15 goals and 8 assists in 37 games.
Cole Palmer is a versatile and dynamic player who can play as a winger as well as an attacking midfielder. He is known for his playmaking ability, his dribbling and composure. Palmer likes to play in a forward role from where he can impact the game more, he likes to get involved in transitions and counter-attacking moves. Palmer is also great at scoring from free-kicks apart from goals from open play. Palmer has a great passing-range which is another hallmark of a top-class midfielder.
The Club world cup could be the stage where Cole Palmer can show his class and maybe take his club deep into the tournament.
Lionel Messi (Inter Miami CF | Argentina)
Lionel Messi is a name that needs no introduction in world football. Regarded as the best player of his generation, Messi completed football in 2022 when he led Argentina to the FIFA World Cup. Even though age is slowly catching up with the legendary player, he can still terrorise opposition defenders with his skills, game intelligence and trickery. Messi is currently plying his trade in Major League Soccer (MLS) for Inter Miami FC where in 10 games he has scored 5 goals and bagged 2 assists in the league this season.
Messi has played as a forward for most of his career and possesses exceptional dribbling skills, close control and lethal finishing skills. His low centre of gravity enables him to get past players with ease. In addition, his ball distribution and passing are second to none. Scoring from set-pieces is another added strength for the Argentine great. Because of all the mentioned attributes, he has undoubtedly been an absolute nightmare for opposition defenders and continues to amaze one and all with his skills.
The ex-Barcelona legend will be representing Inter Miami FC at the Club World Cup and even though European giants like Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Manchester City will be competing, all eyes will be on the Argentine forward to unleash his wizardry and create magical moments at the Club World Cup.
Alessandro Bastoni (FC Internazionale Milano | France)
Italy has always known to produce great defenders and another one in their long line of exceptional centre-backs is young Alessandro Bastoni who plays for Inter in the Italian Serie A.
Bastoni is a modern-day ball playing Centre-back who can also play as a left-back. In the Inter formation under Simon Inzaghi that plays the 3-5-2 formation, he plays from the back but can also move forward to assist with the attack. In the Serie A, he has scored a goal and provided five assists. Due to his exceptional defensive performances, Inter are also going to play in the Champions League final.
His progressive passes (5.50), progressive carries (2.05) and tackles (1.89) make him a unique defender that is not just good in defending but also lends a lot of effort in attacking areas.
Bastoni is already being regarded as one of the best young defenders in Europe and could definitely play a big role for Inter at the Club World Cup.
Omar Marmoush (Manchester City FC | Egypt)
Manchester City have had a poor season by their exceptionally high standards this season having failed to win any trophies. However, their January signing Omar Marmoush has caught the eye in the Premier League. Before moving to City, Marmoush was having a sensational season at Eintracht Frankfurt having scored 15 goals and bagged 9 assists for the German Bundesliga outfit. Even at City, he has impressed with 7 goals in 16 games.
The Egyptian is a well-rounded centre-forward who can carry the ball, link-up play, play on the wing and centrally and possesses clinical finishing skills. He is equally adept at scoring from outside the box and has lethal finishing from set-pieces too.
With City having gotten several new players in the team, Marmoush looks like the one who can have the maximum impact at this Club World Cup.
Désiré Doué (Paris Saint-Germain FC | France)
Désiré Doué is another name that is creating ripples in European football this season. The 19-year-old winger playing for PSG is looking like a serious talent. In the French Ligue 1 this season, he has scored 6 goals and provided 6 assists for the Ligue 1 champions. In the 15 games he has played in the CL, he has made an impact with 3 goals and 2 assists.
Désiré Doué is an attacking midfielder who can also play as a winger. Doué likes to play in a forward role up the pitch and can trouble defenders with his pace and dribbling. He is a box-to-box playmaking midfielder who has the ability to find space and shoot with accuracy from outside the box. Though he is seen as an out an out attacking player, he has also made important defensive contributions to this highly aggressive PSG side.
Being only 19 still, Doué has potential to develop further into a world-class player and the Club World Cup could be another tournament where he can showcase his skills to the world.
Martim Fernandes (FC Porto | Portugal)
Martim Fernandes is yet another young player that is one to follow with interest at this Club World Cup. The Portuguese right-back has impressed for Porto in the Liga Portugal this season. In 25 league games, he has provided 6 assists this season.
The 19-year-old is an attack minded right-back who likes to make overlapping runs on the right wing and provides crosses and passes with accuracy. Even at this young age, he possesses composure under pressure, reads the game well and is strong defensively too which makes him a good modern-day fullback.
While Porto might not have the quality to be able to compete with a lot of top European clubs at the Club World Cup but Martim Fernandes is definitely one of the young talents that can attract a lot of interest from other clubs after the Club World Cup is over.
Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid CF | France)
Kylian Mbappé is currently one of the best forwards in world football, if not the best. He joined Real Madrid last summer and even though the club struggled to win any trophies, Mbappé kept them in a title battle and led them to the Champions League Quarter-finals with 42 goals and 4 assists in 55 games this season.
The French international is already a World Cup winner and was also the finalist and the Golden Boot winner at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Mbappé has the experience and the skills to perform on the biggest stages. He is quick with exceptional dribbling skills; can linkup play and has a lethal finish on him. An absolute nightmare for opposition defenders, Mbappé can also assist his teammates with passes and crosses.
The France forward will definitely be one of the most watched players at the Club World Cup for sure as Real Madrid would definitely be one of the favourites to win the tournament.
Franco Mastantuono (CA River Plate | Argentina)
Franco Mastantouno is one of the most exciting young talents in Argentine football currently. The 17-year-old is already attracting interest from Europe’s elite clubs. Mastantuono plays as a central attacking midfielder for River Plate in the Argentine Primera División. He has scored 4 goals and bagged 4 assists in 12 games of the Argentine league in the 2025 season so far. In the CONMEBOL Libertadores, he scored 2 goals in 5 games for his club.
Mastantuono is a playmaking midfielder who possesses incredible striking ability. He is a naturally left-footed player who likes to play in a more forward role and has an ability to score goals. He is also particularly lethal in dead ball situations and has scored from set-pieces too this season. He is a skillful dribbler with decent passing skills and is a major threat on goal due to his exceptional ball striking skills.
Mastantuono is definitely one of the best young talents coming up in the world of football and with the whole world watching, the Club World Cup could be a massive stepping stone in his fledgling football career.
Vangelis Pavlidis (SL Benfica | Greece)
Vangelis Pavlidis hasn’t just impressed in the Portuguese league this season but has been a surprise package in the Champions League as well. The Greek forward has been prolific for SL Benfica scoring 19 goals and getting 7 assists in 34 Liga Portugal matches this season. He had a superb CL campaign as well scoring 7 goals and getting 2 assists in 12 CL games.
The Greek forward is a strong player known for his linkup play, progressive carrying and ball retention. In addition, he is good aerially as well with great tactical and positional intelligence. Pavlidis also possesses lethal finishing skills in his armour making him a complete forward.
If Benfica are to make an impact at this Club World Cup and want to go deep in this tournament, Pavlidis’ scoring-form would be very vital for them.
Estêvão Willian (Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras | Brazil)
18-year-old Brazilian winger Estêvão is one of the youngest teenage sensations grabbing eyeballs everywhere with his skills and performances. He is currently playing as a winger for Palmeiras in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A. However, his move to English Premier League club Chelsea has already been confirmed for the 2025/26 season though he will represent Palmeiras at the Club World Cup before the impending move to West London. The 18-year-old has provided three assists in 10 games in the Série A in Brazil this season.
Estêvão is a winger known for his creativity in the final third. He has pace, exceptional dribbling skills, precise footwork, intelligence and awareness. Estêvão likes to use his explosive pace to run in behind defences and create opportunities for his forwards, he also likes to take on defenders in 1v1 situations.
The fact that a young player has been snapped by a big European club is a testament to his talent and skill. Though he will compete against top clubs at the Club World Cup this season, we could witness the birth of a Brazilian superstar who might like to follow in the footsteps of Neymar Jr.
Leave a Reply