The Winners and Losers of the 2025 Club World Cup

FIFA's experimental tournament aimed to revolutionise the club football landscape is over, as Chelsea stunned the world with a 3-0 first-half masterclass against Paris Saint Germain.

Whilst the tournament drew deserved criticism for its off-field organisation, no one can doubt that the spectacle provided by the clubs wasn't fit for an elite competition.

We saw teams like PSG continue to blitz their way through most of the pack, Brazil bring their samba A-game all the way to the knockouts whilst strong contenders like Manchester City and Atletico Madrid had a tournament to forget.

The Winners

Firstly, there's no doubting that Chelsea are the outright victor of the inaugural Club World Cup.

Having had their participation questioned due to them only qualifying through their Champions League success four years ago, the Blues have struggled for the last few seasons and managed to qualify for the Champions League again only on the final day of the season.

With a huge spending spree in excess of £1bn over the last three years and with a recent fine for breaking UEFA's Profit and Sustainability rules, the Blues' £90m prize earnings will be crucial in helping to avoid further punishments whilst their lavish player signings continue.

South American sides were easily the best thing to happen to the tournament however, as their fans travelled North in huge numbers as they traditionally did at the old Club World Cup, helping to fill stadiums that would otherwise be half empty.

In particular, the four Brazilian sides were all winners as they all progressed to the knockout stages and picked up some huge victories on the way, such as Botafogo's 1-0 victory against PSG and Fluminense's 2-0 win over Inter Milan.

Al Hilal also proved they could go toe-to-toe with Europe's finest despite having a team mixed of famous veterans with unknown Saudis.

Still, they drew to Real Madrid, RB Salzburg and knocked out Manchester City but would have been bitterly disappointed to fall to Fluminense and miss out on a semi-final place.

The Losers

FC Porto were heavy favourites to top their group consisting of Palmeiras, Inter Miami and Al Ahly, however the 2004 Champions League winners failed to win a single game and would have finished bottom of the order if a last-gasp equaliser from substitute Pepe didn't rescue a 4-4 draw for them against the team from Egypt.

Whilst their $24m earnings isn't anything to shrug your shoulders at, it isn't going to be breaking financial boundaries back home in Portugal whereas a potential run to the quarter-finals could have seen them double that sum.

Atletico Madrid actually ended up earning less due to a lack of goal bonuses, and they did get whopped 4-0 by the European Champions in their opening game.

However, they did recover to win their next two games to finish on six points which is usually enough to secure a knockout place, yet they ended up being eliminated on goal difference.

Therefore, Atletico Madrid also fell well below their standards across the Atlantic.

Manchester City are the final team to make it into the loser category, despite looking strong in the group stage with a huge 6-0 demolition of Al Ain before thrashing Italian giants Juventus 5-2.

But, their loss to Al Hilal was a repeat of the mistakes City made last season when they fell from Premier League champions to a team that lost five games in a row - missing out on a favourable path to the final in the meantime.

Tournament Standouts

Best Player - Whilst Cole Palmer won the official award, mainly for his brace in the final, the impact of the tournament's top assister cannot be overshadowed.

Regarded by many as an overpriced flop that Chelsea should move on just two seasons ago, Enzo Fernandez was Chelsea’s star man in the group stage and created their opening two goals in the must-win game against Esperance Tunis in their final group match.

Against Benfica in the Round of 16, Enzo was pushed further forward into the 10 role which allowed for Palmer to roam into wide areas and for both Reece James and Malo Gusto to overlap the Englishman, where they flourish rather than inverting into the midfield.

In the final, the Argentine's advanced role was influential in the Blues’ high press and his aggression led to multiple turnovers in possession in dangerous areas leading to good chances.

Most Underwhelming Player - Raul Asencio emerged as the future of Real Madrid's defence last season under Carlo Ancelotti and started their opening two matches.

After condeding a penalty in their opener that meant they drew 1-1, Asencio then saw a straight red card as he let Salomon Rondon get goalside on him and as a result had to take out the former West Bromwich Albion striker.

Mistake after mistake in this Club World Cup by Raul Asencio. pic.twitter.com/DuMykQQQS6

— The Touchline | Football Coverage (@TouchlineX) July 9, 2025

Not playing another match until the semi-final, Asencio was then part of the side that were humiliated by PSG and he was even replaced for Real's first substitution of the game, with the team already three goals down.

Best Young Player - Gonzalo Garcia went from a fringe squad player to a candidate to lead the Real Madrid line next season under Xabi Alonso's management, especially if Rodrygo leaves to push Kylian Mbappe out wide.

Starting all six of Los Blancos' games, the Spaniard scored huge goals against big opposition such as Juventus, Borussia Dortmund and RB Salzburg on his way to finishing as joint-top scorer to prove he already has what it takes against Europe's elite.

A breakout tournament for Gonzalo García 😮‍💨✨ pic.twitter.com/sXedmDGDjA

— OneFootball (@OneFootball) July 14, 2025

Best Goal - Jhon Arias' free-kick wins my vote as the best goal at the tournament, which opened the scoring for Fluminense in a thriller of a game as they went on to beat Ulsan HD 4-2 and secure a Round of 16 place.

Jhon Arias is a straight up baller!!

The Colombian 🇨🇴 winger is incredible, one of the best players in the Brazilian 🇧🇷 league.

Golaço!!! My lord!
pic.twitter.com/uBQ1ywUpFg

— Tactical Manager (@ManagerTactical) June 21, 2025

Best Moment - I've already mentioned the Latin Americans, so it's no surprise to see that one of its clubs has won my accolade for best moment.

Miguel Merentiel sent the Boca Juniors faithful into raptures with a beautiful solo effort, but my word - just look at the passion.

The goal did tie the game against Bayern Munich at 1-1, but unfortunately for the Argentinians it was the Bavarians who grabbed a late winner.

💥Esto es una bestialidad

➡️Gracias al que grabó, po grabarlo y por compartirlo⤵️

El gol de Merentiel desde la grada tras el arco de Neuerpic.twitter.com/RjqqaXlCE8

— Armando Naranjo 🍊 Naranjazos (@Naranjazos10) June 21, 2025

A Good Advertisement for America?

Really, this Club World Cup was all practice in preparation for the real main event next year for the United States.

However, it panned out far from how they would have wanted it to go.

A lack of interest from American fans leading to half-empty crowds and slashed ticket prices in signs of desperation from FIFA showed how far football still has to go if it wants to fully captivate the American market.

Out of their control, the weather also caused an issue as six games had to be delayed for player and fan safety.

One match was Benfica versus Chelsea, which was delayed with only four minutes remaining and didn't continue until two hours later, with Di Maria equalising in injury time for the Portuguese side - surely delays which has such a huge bearing on proceedings can't happen at the World Cup?

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca went as far to question USA's ability as hosts: "I think it's a joke to be honest.

"If you suspend seven or eight games then it's probably not the right place to do the competition.

"In a World Cup, how many games are suspended? Zero probably. In Europe how many games get suspended? Zero."

FIFA still have a lot to get right ahead of the real showpiece event this time next year.