The Underdog Teams That Could Surprise You at the Club World Cup | OneFootball

A feast of soccer lies in wait this summer as 32 teams contest the revamped FIFA Club World Cup in the United States.

Clubs from all six continental federations will compete for world champion status, although only a handful of the participating sides harbor genuine ambitions of lifting the trophy aloft come mid-July.

Any club outside of Europe’s established big-hitters will be considered significant underdogs at the tournament, but there are a band of surprise packages waiting to cause a seismic upset with the world watching.

Here are seven sides who could spring a surprise at the Club World Cup.

Al Ahly

Having clinched four of the last CAF Champions League crowns, Al Ahly are relentless winners. The Egyptian giants, who have also won their domestic top-flight title for the past three years, will undoubtedly head to the tournament full of confidence, embracing their status as Africa’s biggest club.

Al Ahly featured nine times in the previous format of the Club World Cup—albeit with little success—but will meet opposition closer to their level in the group phase of the remastered competition. Drawn in one of the more favourable groups, they face Inter Miami in the tournament opener before meeting Palmeiras and Porto. It’s not straightforward but they have at least managed to avoid Europe’s top dogs.

Al Hilal

Simone Inzaghi is the new Al Hilal manager. / IMAGO/Ulrich Wagner

Given the vast sums of money spent by Al Hilal en route to recent Saudi Pro League and AFC Champions League titles, their position as underdogs is somewhat questionable. However, despite their financial muscle and star players from lands afar, they failed to clinch the Pro League title ahead of Al Ittihad in 2024–25 and were last champions of Asia in 2021.

They are certain to make their presence felt in the United States, though. Boasting the likes of Yassine Bounou, Kalidou Koulibaly, João Cancelo, Rúben Neves, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Malcom and Aleksandar Mitrovic, they have more than enough firepower to unnerve even Europe’s best teams, and they will fancy their chances of finishing alongside Real Madrid in Group H’s top two.

To make their case even more compelling, they have just hired former Inter manager Simone Inzaghi, who will oversee his first matches at the tournament having just guided his old employers to the UEFA Champions League final.

Botafogo

Botafogo owe their place at the Club World Cup to a first-ever Copa Libertadores title in 2024—a year in which they also won the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A. They were the dominant side in Brazil and South America last year and have the benefit of heading into this summer’s tournament midway through their current campaign.

The Brazilian side will already be in competition mode heading to the United States and despite currently sitting sixth in their domestic league after 11 matches, they still boast an abundance of talent. Nottingham Forest have been so impressed by three of their players—Jair Cunha, Cuiabano and Igor Jesus—that they are on the verge of signing the trio, although they are still expected to feature at the Club World Cup regardless of a transfer.

They will offer the characteristic South American combination of grit and flair, albeit they will be hard pushed to qualify ahead of Paris Saint-Germain or Atlético Madrid in Group B.

Flamengo

Another Brazilian outfit aiming to upset the odds are Flamengo. The 2022 Copa Libertadores winners, who are currently first in Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, caused Liverpool problems in the 2019 Club World Cup final, with the English behemoths only escaping with a 1–0 victory after extra-time. Flamengo will want to provide Chelsea with a similar conundrum in the group stage of this year’s contest.

They have some impressive options within their ranks and are led by former Chelsea defender Filipe Luis in the dugout. The 39-year-old has largely impressed at the helm and will lean on Brazil internationals Danilo and Gerson, as well as Uruguayan talisman Giorgian de Arrascaeta in the final third.

Inter Miami

Lionel Messi will lead Inter Miami at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. / IMAGO/Sports Press Photo

Inter Miami’s spot at the Club World Cup may have been controversially awarded but the Major League Soccer outfit are likely to be one of the competition’s most talked about clubs. The major reason is Lionel Messi, of course, and the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner will be integral to their chances of making it beyond the group stage.

Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and Luis Suárez are the other Barcelona legends who will take centre stage, while Javier Mascherano now manages them, too.

They will provide some unpredictable chaos in Group A given they have scored more goals than any other team in MLS this season but have a leaky defensive record, conceding 27 times in just 16 matches. Perhaps they can outscore the likes of Palmeiras and Al Ahly to reach the knockouts.

Mamelodi Sundowns

The dominance of Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs in South Africa came to an end long ago and Mamelodi Sundowns have emphatically taken their place at the summit. They have won the last eight South African Premiership titles and were even beaten finalists in the 2024–25 CAF Champions League.

They will head into the tournament in confident form and a favorable group will only boost morale further. The competition’s only club from sub-Saharan Africa will fancy their chances of bettering Ulsan HD or Fluminense—Borussia Dortmund should prove a challenge too great—and reaching the last 16. From there, who knows what’s possible?

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