After a round of 16 featuring some big upsets, GOAL ranks the remaining eight teams hoping to lift the trophy in New Jersey on July 13
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The last 16 of the revamped Club World Cup drew to a close on Tuesday, with Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund progressing to the quarter-finals as expected, after wins over Juventus and Monterrey, respectively. However, the first round of knockout games in the United States still produced plenty of shocks, the biggest of which saw Al-Hilal dump Manchester City out of the tournament with a sensational 4-3 win over Pep Guardiola's side.
There was also a massive surprise in Charlotte as Fluminense defeated Champions League runners-up Inter by playing the kind of catenaccio game for which the Nerazzurri were once famous.
Elsewhere, Palmeiras sprung a minor surprise by winning their all-Brazilian battle with Botafogo, Chelsea beat Benfica after extra-time, Bayern Munich got the better of Flamengo in a very entertaining encounter, while Paris Saint-Germain eliminated the 'hosts', Inter Miami, with a 4-0 rout of Lionel Messi & Co.
So, how do things stand now? Who's got a real shot at lifting the trophy at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 13? And who's likely to be heading home after this weekend's quarter-finals? GOAL rates and ranks the eight remaining participants…
Getty Images Sport8Borussia Dortmund ⬆️
Dortmund have rather gone under the radar at the Club World Cup, primarily because their group-stage campaign was more than a little underwhelming. However, they demonstrated a mix of attacking class and defensive resilience to see off a dangerous Monterrey side in the last 16 to set up a quarter-final clash with Real Madrid, which is obviously a repeat of the 2024 Champions League final.
It's hard not to see Saturday's game going the same way, but BVB will be buoyed by the fact that star striker Serhou Guirassy opened his Club World Cup account with a decisive double in Atlanta on Tuesday.
AdvertisementAFP7Palmeiras ⬆️
Palmeiras may have got through the group stage undefeated, but their only win had come against Al Ahly, so they were undeniably underdogs going into their all-Brazilian last-16 showdown with Botafogo, who had upset PSG on matchday two. However, Abel Ferreira's side performed excellently against their compatriots and were good value for their 1-0 victory, which came courtesy of Paulinho's extra-time cool finish.
So, while key defender Gustavo Gomez will definitely be missed against Chelsea, after getting himself sent off for two bookable offences against Botafogo, Palmeiras will be able once again call on the services of Estevao Willian, the Stamford Bridge-bound teenager who has been one of the most exciting attacking talents on show in the tournament so far.
AFP6Al-Hilal ⬆️
While the strength of the Brazilian contingent has rightly received plenty of attention, Al-Hilal are undoubtedly the revelation of the 2025 Club World Cup. The Saudi Arabians may have spent a colossal amount of cash strengthening their squad over the past few years, but nobody expected them to make the quarter-finals in the States.
Al-Hilal are there on merit, though. After drawing with Real Madrid during an undefeated group-stage campaign, they produced the shock of the tournament so far by beating free-spending Manchester City in a seven-goal thriller in Orlando. As Simone Inzaghi said, they essentially had to "climb Mount Everest without oxygen – but we were great."
Consequently, Al-Hilal have absolutely nothing to fear from Fluminense – not with Yassine Bounou performing miracles in goal, Ruben Neves and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic excelling in midfield and Marcos Leonardo proving a menace in attack.
Getty5Bayern Munich ⬇️
After following up a record-breaking rout of Auckland City with a comfortable win over Boca Juniors, Bayern Munich blew top spot in Group C by losing 1-0 to Benfica. However, Vincent Kompany had rung the changes for the Bavarians' final group, in an understandable attempt to give some of his key men a break from the sweltering conditions in the States, and a stronger Bayern side re-established themselves as a potential title-winner in the last-16 win over Flamengo.
Perhaps the most encouraging aspect of the 4-2 win over a team that hadn't tasted defeat for 11 games was the performance of Harry Kane, who struggled at times in the group stage but found the back of the net with two fine finishes in Miami. Bayern will undoubtedly need their talisman performing at the peak of his considerable powers if they're get past PSG on Saturday.
