The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup is off and running, with plenty of talking points and storylines already. Let’s get you caught up with what’s happening today, 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, so do check back regularly for the latest news as we follow the fun all the way up to the tournament final at MetLife Stadium on July 13.
The lead: Man City need Foden to be at his best
PHILADELPHIA — Pep Guardiola arrived at the Club World Cup telling his Manchester City players to forget about last season, and itt’s a message that will have been directed at Phil Foden, in particular.
The England midfielder was voted as the Premier League‘s best player in May 2024. Fast-forward a year and he could barely get a game for City. Picked to start against Wydad AC in their Group G opener, Foden scored City’s first goal of the tournament within two minutes. It’s the first time he’s found the net for club or country since January — a statistic that tells its own story about how hard the 25-year-old has found the past few months.
As recently as last month, Foden told reporters he was burnt out, which was also the reason he decided to skip England’s World Cup qualifiers in June. Guardiola can only hope that the extra rest has done him good and that a goal against Wydad — guided into the net after Savinho‘s cross was parried back into the penalty area — will kick start a resurgence.
If Foden can return to his 2023-24 levels, when he scored 27 goals in all competitions, then City could again become the Premier League’s team to beat.
Rayan Cherki has arrived from Lyon this summer in the pre-tournament transfer window and has already been forced to answer questions about whether he’s the replacement for Kevin De Bruyne. For Guardiola, though, Foden is likely to be considered as a more likely successor.
Guardiola had to do without De Bruyne for more than half of the 2023-24 campaign because of injury and it was Foden who stepped up as City claimed a fourth title in a row. When Foden scored after just 113 seconds, it looked like Wydad AC might be on the end of the kind of score we saw over the weekend between Bayern Munich and Auckland City. But it was to the Moroccan side’s credit that they caused City problems on the break — particularly during the middle period of the first half.
1′ GOAL! Foden opens the score under 2 minutes of gameplay! 🔥
Watch the @FIFACWC | June 14 – July 13 | Every Game | Free | https://t.co/i0K4eUtwwb | #FIFACWC #TakeItToTheWorld #MCIWAC pic.twitter.com/tf8qvq3jvf
— DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) June 18, 2025
It was partly down to the pace of Wydad’s South African forward Thembinkosi Lorch, but also because of Guardiola’s ultra-attacking team. Foden, Cherki, Omar Marmoush, Jérémy Doku and Savinho were all crammed into the starting XI. It left Tijjani Reijnders to make his City debut as the deepest-lying midfielder even though he arrived from Milan talking about being a goalscoring No.8. A young back four that included Vitor Reis (19), Rico Lewis (20) and Nico O’Reilly (20) had some nervous moments before Doku made it 2-0 just before half-time.
The goal knocked the energy out of Wydad and the second half was comfortable for City, though the scoreline didn’t deter the Moroccan fans. The block of red behind the goal bounced and chanted, led by a drummer who didn’t stop all afternoon. At one point in the second half the game had to be paused after smoke bombs were let off. It gave the game a World Cup atmosphere as City kicked off their campaign with a win.
The only downside for Guardiola was a late red card for Lewis, despite appearing to win the ball first before clattering into Samuel Obeng. — Rob Dawson
Ref Cam captured THAT Rico Lewis tackle 🤯
Watch the @FIFACWC | June 14 – July 13 | Every Game | Free | https://t.co/i0K4eUtwwb | #FIFACWC #TakeItToTheWorld #MCIWAC pic.twitter.com/dr83OVrzZg
— DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) June 18, 2025
Today’s top Club World Cup news
• Al Hilal CEO: Signing Ronaldo would have been “unusual”
• New Chelsea signing Sarr: I want to be Chelsea’s van Dijk
• Man City open Club World Cup with a win
Sights and sounds around FIFA Club World Cup
Andrada or Mele? Monterrey’s goalkeeping dilemma
LOS ANGELES — Esteban Andrada arrived at the Club World Cup with one foot out of the club, but he had his redemption match against UEFA Champions League runner-up Inter Milan as the Liga MX side earned a very credible 1-1 draw to begin their Group E campaign.
Andrada’s mistakes and lack of confidence saw him benched down the stretch in Liga MX, which prompted Monterrey to seek reinforcements in the special pre-Club World Cup transfer window. They signed Uruguayan international Santiago Mele, who arrived in Los Angeles on Monday afternoon, but he was not considered for the match. In the end, Andrada was a force between the posts, making one big save and commanding his penalty area well against an onslaught of Inter shots, the Serie A side managing 15 shots for an xG (expected goals) of 2.68.
Coach Domenec Torrent now has an important decision to make for their next group game, against Argentine giants River Plate on Saturday at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena: should he back Andrada to continue his heroics, or will Mele get an immediate look as a starter? — Ricardo Cariño, ESPN Mexico
Wydad AC fans bring the atmosphere and energy in the Philly heat
PHILADELPHIA — Empty seats are in danger of becoming a theme of the Club World Cup, but Wydad’s travelling support more than made up for the shortfall at Lincoln Financial Field on Wednesday.
The attendance — which did steadily increase after kick-off — was announced as 37,446, just over half the stadium capacity of 67,594. That represents a reasonable return given the midday kick-off and summer humidity, but regardless, the sense of occasion was heightened by the ceaseless noise provided by Wydad’s supporters.
Clad in red and gathered behind one goal, roughly 2,000 supporters led the charge with a pre-match tifo, drum-led chanting and, at one point during the second half, a sea of red flares which spread smoke and the smell of cordite drifting across the southern Philadelphia air. A few individuals went a step too far in throwing flares onto the pitch — prompting boos from City supporters — but overall FIFA will be grateful for the colour Wydad’s ultras provided despite watching their team lose 2-0.
FIFA owes something of a debt to Morocco in this regard. Amid fears of empty stadia during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Morocco supporters descended on the Gulf state in their thousands to pack out arenas during the competition. What a boost it will be for FIFA and president Gianni Infantino if Wydad’s fans continue to show this enthusiasm. — James Olley
More sights and sounds to follow…
Star player of the day
To follow after the games…
Match previews, odds for Thursday
Palmeiras vs. Al Ahly (Group A; East Rutherford, NJ, Noon ET)
Odds (via ESPN BET
): Palmeiras (-165), Draw (+300), Al Ahly (+450)
Preview to follow…
Inter Miami CF vs. FC Porto (Group A; Atlanta, 3 p.m. ET)
Odds: Inter Miami CF (+380), Draw (+300), FC Porto (-150)
Preview to follow…
Seattle Sounders FC vs. Atletico Madrid (Group B; Seattle, 6 p.m. ET)
Odds: Seattle Sounders FC (+750), Draw (+450), Atletico Madrid (-340)
After losing 4-0 to Paris Saint-Germain in their opening Group B game, this already feels like a must-win match for Atletico Madrid if they want to progress to the knockout phase. That performance was unacceptable, the first-half failure to compete uncharacteristic of a Diego Simeone team.
Perhaps the midday heat in Pasadena was a factor, though there’ll be no such excuse on Thursday evening at a cloudy Lumen Field in Seattle. The Sounders did well against Brazilian giants Botafogo there on Sunday — giving the 2024 Libertadores winners a scare, though losing 2-1 despite having the bulk of the scoring chances and possession — and they’ll once again be underdogs against Atletico, hoping to secure a famous win at home. — Alex Kirkland
Paris Saint-Germain vs. Botafogo RJ (Group B; Pasadena, 9 p.m. ET)
Odds: PSG (-550), Draw (+550), Botafogo RJ (+1000)
Preview to follow…
