Club World Cup: Which teams will qualify for the quarter-finals?

Both Manchester City and Chelsea have qualified for the Club World Cup round of 16 alongside European titans Inter Milan, Bayern Munich and PSG.

However, if the tournament has demonstrated one thing, it is this: no club is too big to exit the competition earlier than expected. FC Porto and Atletico Madrid have already gone home. 

Progression through to the quarter-finals represents a major step towards glory in the final – and every remaining outfit will feel that they have the requisite talent to clinch a mega payout. 

But, according to UK bookmakers, only a select few stand a real chance of making it to the final eight…

Analysing the favourites

Champions League winners PSG are unanimous favourites to enter next week’s quarter-finals, with bet365, QuinnBet and Betway each posting the Parisian side at 1/12. 

Luis Enrique’s men take on Inter Miami on Monday evening – in Lionel Messi’s first appearance against his former employer since departing in 2023.

Manchester City (2/5) sit next in line. Betfred and Ladbrokes agree that the 10-time Premier League champions will see off either Al Hilal or Salzburg in the round of 16. 

Bayern Munich (4/9) and Real Madrid (4/9) are each priced among the tournament’s most likely to advance – with the German club set to meet Flamengo at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on Sunday night. 

Interestingly, Chelsea’s odds with bet365 (8/15) circle a similar orbit to that of Palmeiras (8/13). This points to the Brazilian side’s impact on the Club World Cup, having enjoyed an unbeaten run throughout the group stage. 

On the other side of the coin, the Blues were put to the sword by Flamengo in their second outing of the four-week tournament. 

Potential value in the underdogs 

It’s difficult to brand a Champions League finalist an ‘underdog’ – yet Inter Milan (1/1, Betway) are regarded as one of Europe’s least likely to make a quarter-final push.

Following the Italian giants are Botafogo (6/5, bet365) and Juventus (11/8, Betfred). 

However, the most value lies in Borussia Dortmund’s 6/4 odds listing, published by Betway. Niko Kovac’s side came out on top in Group F and will face middling Mexican club Monterrey in Atlanta on Wednesday. 

Benfica (11/8), River Plate (13/8), Fluminense (6/4) and Flamengo round up the remaining sides given half a chance by BetVictor to qualify for the quarter-finals. 

Unlikely…but not impossible

Despite playing on home soil, Inter Miami (7/1) are projected by bet365 and Betway to fall short of the last eight.

The same goes for Salzburg (9/2) and Al Hilal (4/1), as neither side’s place in the round of 16 has been confirmed just yet. A final batch of group games, set to kick off in the early hours of Friday morning, will determine the fate of both teams.

Nevertheless, Monterrey sit bottom of the pile in terms of UK bookmaker odds. 

Betway have Borussia Dortmund’s upcoming opponents at 8/1 – though that represents a much improved price compared to offerings at bet365 and QuinnBet.