FIFA Club World Cup, A Proving Ground for Wounded Giants

Nothing is more painful than being slapped by expectations. This experience was felt by Real Madrid, Manchester City, and Inter Milan in the recently concluded season. Expected to dominate Europe, they instead ended the season tragically without a single trophy. The three giants are now seeking solace in the FIFA Club World Cup.

This tournament presents an opportunity to win a trophy while testing the strength of teams ahead of the new season. A total of 32 of the best teams from around the world have submitted their player rosters to participate in the competition, which will take place from June 15 to July 13, 2025, in the United States. The Club World Cup was originally held annually and featured the winning teams from club championships in their respective continents.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino then proposed the expansion of the competition to 32 teams, with the tournament held every four years. This new format was initially set to be implemented in 2021. However, the Covid-19 pandemic ultimately led to the cancellation of the event. Thus, 2025 will be the first year for the new format of the Club World Cup.

The prestige of the FIFA Club World Cup has not been significantly greater than that of the UEFA Champions League due to the disparity in the strength of the participating teams. Since its inception in 2000, only representatives from Europe and Latin America have ever been crowned champions.

Real Madrid has become the team with the most titles, totaling five championships. It is followed by Barcelona, which has won three times. The Latin American teams that have ever won the Club World Cup are Sao Paulo, Internacional, and Corinthians.

The disparity in the quality of the teams competing has led to the FIFA Club World Cup nearly being excluded from the main targets of the major European clubs. Winning the FIFA Club World Cup feels no more prestigious than winning the Champions League. However, for Real, City, and Inter, the significance of this FIFA Club World Cup may be quite different.

The three clubs completely failed last season. Real did not win a single trophy despite being the defending champions of the Champions League and La Liga. A similar fate was experienced by City, which for the first time failed to win a trophy in a season under Manager Pep Guardiola.

This tournament is held every four years and I want the club to win it because it is the first time it is played in history. - Rayan Cherki -

On the other hand, Inter's fate is much more tragic as they failed just when the Champions League trophy was within reach. "I Nerazzurri" lost the Serie A title and were defeated in the Champions League final by Paris Saint-Germain.

Inter's new coach Cristian Chivu says his team must win the Club World Cup trophy after a disappointing season.

"We need to restore our mental energy. Then, go out and do what a team like Inter must do, which is to win trophies. We are ready to give everything for that," said Chivu in his first interview after being appointed to replace Simone Inzaghi.

Chivu has announced 33 selected players to realize his ambition of becoming a champion. The star striker duo, Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram, have been brought to the United States. In addition, there are also two new players added, namely Luis Henrique and Petar Sucic.

Henrique, wearing the number 11 jersey, adds depth to Inter in the right wing sector. The former Marseille player will work alongside Denzel Dumfries. Meanwhile, Sucic could serve as a backup for Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Hakan Calhanoglu in the midfield.

Similar ambitions were also displayed by City, which brought its full strength. Like Inter, City also had the opportunity to secure a trophy from last season. However, that hope was dashed after losing in the FA Cup final to Crystal Palace.

Guardiola showcased the depth of his squad as City announced 27 selected players. From the squad list, three new players, namely Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Cherki, and Rayan Ait-Nouri, were included. City is expected to make a significant impact in the Club World Cup following the recovery of midfield general, Rodri.

"This tournament is new and we want to win. This tournament is held every four years and I want the club to win it because this is the first time it has been played in history," said Cherki as quoted from the City website.

Despite having a poor season, Real has become the favored team to win the Club World Cup. This is because "Los Blancos" has a strong tradition in this tournament, holding the record for the most championship titles, with five victories. However, all of Real's titles were won when the Club World Cup still used the old format.

In the old format, Real's performance was unstoppable. They reached the final five times and always emerged victorious. The quality of the participating teams in the old format was still too disparate, allowing Real to win easily. In their most recent final, Real even managed to score five goals against the Asian representative, Al-Hilal (Saudi Arabia), in the final.

With the new format, the ambition to rectify last season's failures has become more challenging. Real cannot be too dominant considering that other European giants such as City, Inter, or Bayern Munich are ready to intensify the competition.

The new format, which is significantly more competitive, made Real Madrid President Florentino Perez initially reluctant to assign new coach Xabi Alonso to the Club World Cup. Perez was reported to be hesitant to burden or place additional pressure on Alonso before the start of the 2025-2026 season.

Perez is concerned that Alonso will be in a worrying position before the season begins due to unsatisfactory results in the Club World Cup. This is because Real supporters are very demanding. They believe that Real must win any tournament they participate in.

Santiago Solari was initially projected to be the interim coach of Real at the Club World Cup. However, Solari declined the assignment, leaving Alonso with no choice but to lead Real.

On the other hand, Alonso had the opportunity to prove that he is a coach worthy of replacing Carlo Ancelotti by leading Real to victory in the newly formatted Club World Cup.