Man City and Real Madrid to battle it out for Club World Cup

The FIFA Club World Cup takes place across June and July with this year’s competition taking place in the USA. 32 teams will take part in the global competition, including those from all six of the international confederations. 

12 teams from Europe will compete against 6 from South America, 4 each from Asia, Africa, and North America, Central America and the Caribbean, 1 from Oceania, and 1 host nation team. Last year’s winners, Manchester City, and Real Madrid, who hold the record for the most Club World Cup victories, are considered favourites by the bookmakers, despite them only finishing 3rd and 2nd in their respective leagues.

Manchester City (9/2)

By their own standards, Manchester City endured a difficult season, following an especially torrid start to the campaign. However, they won four of their last five and, over the past few seasons, have been one of if not the best club team in world football. 

The return of Rodri, who won the Ballon d’Or last season, will give them a considerable boost, and the Manchester club are priced as 9/2 favourites to retain the title. 

Real Madrid (9/2)

Real have won the Club World Cup five times, including most recently two years ago when they beat Al-Hilal 5-3 in the final. Real lost out to Barcelona in La Liga, with the Catalan giants finishing four points ahead at the top of the table. 

Despite this impressive history in the tournament, they were also eliminated from the Champions League in the quarter-final, by Arsenal. They are 9/2 joint-favourites to make amends for that by winning the Club World Cup. 

PSG (6/1)

While Arsenal managed to dispatch Real Madrid in Europe, they were undone by Paris Saint-Germain. In the past couple of seasons, PSG have ditched their Galacticos reputation and become a formidable team. 

PSG face Inter Milan in the Champions League final and are 6/1 to follow that up by taking the Club World Cup title for the first time. They also have Ousmane Dembele, who is in contention for this year’s Ballon d’Or, although he will have to beat teenage sensation Lamine Yamal to do so.

Bayern Munich (7/1)

Led by Harry Kane, who this year ended his pursuit of silverware by guiding Bayern to the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich are also considered serious contenders at odds of 7/1. 

They won the league by 13 points, putting the disappointment of last year’s third-place finish to rest and were unfortunate to lose to Inter Milan in the quarter-final of the Champions League. They lost 4-3 over two legs. 

Chelsea (10/1)

For much of the early part of this season, Chelsea looked like they were destined for a mid-table finish. However, the second half of their season saw them rise to take fourth spot and secure a place in next season’s Champions League while also winning the Europa Conference League. 

They should certainly have squad depth to get through the competition, and at 10/1, the young charges have a good chance of causing something of an upset.

Odds for the FIFA Club World Cup, correct at the time of writing, from Ladbrokes: