FIFA Club World Cup 2025: When Europe must be cautious

At the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, there are up to 9 European clubs in the round of 16 and are almost certain to have a representative in the final. But to be able to bring the trophy back to the old continent, they need to be careful.

THE BIG GUYS "FALL"

The FIFA Club World Cup has been a "private playground" for European football for more than a decade. From Real Madrid to Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Man.City, European representatives have dominated the tournament with modern football, discipline and superior physical foundation. The last time a non-European team won the championship was in 2012, when Corinthians (Brazil) defeated Chelsea in the final in Japan. In football, all domination has a cycle. And the successful cycle of European clubs at the FIFA Club World Cup is being challenged by South American teams and possibly an Asian representative, Al Hilal.

In the round of 16, Fluminense created an earthquake when they defeated the reigning European Cup runner-up Inter Milan with a score of 2-0. The Brazilian representative had a strong defense and launched sharp counterattacks to win a worthy victory. At the same time, Palmeiras also overcame Botafogo in a tense civil war. They advanced to the quarter-finals and are ready to make things difficult for Chelsea. If they defeat Cole Palmer and his teammates, Palmeiras will repay the debt they owed in the 2021 FIFA Club World Cup final. This is also a great motivation for Palmeiras to try harder.

Man.City (right) left the tournament early after losing to the Asian representative.

PHOTO: AP

However, don't forget that there is another team ready to create a surprise, Al Hilal. The Asian representative defeated Man.City 4-3 after a thrilling score chase that lasted 120 minutes. Pep Guardiola's team still controlled the game as usual, with nearly twice as many chances as their opponents, but Al Hilal were also very brave. Before the tournament took place, according to football statistics site Opta, Man.City's championship rate was up to 17.8%, only behind the reigning Champions League champion PSG (18.5%). This shows how impressive Al Hilal's victory was. It cannot be said that coach Simone Inzaghi's team was lucky, because in the group stage, they caused a lot of trouble for Real Madrid and forced "Los Blancos" to share points.

BRAZIL IS NOT JUST IMPLICIT

For a long time, Brazilian football has been associated with the image of dancers on the field with excellent techniques, leaning towards inspiration, and always bringing eye-catching charm to the audience. But that style of play was once considered limited when entering the world , where pragmatism and organization prevail, especially when they had to confront the tactical geniuses from Europe. Now, everything is gradually changing.

The best representatives of Brazilian football today, such as Fluminense and Palmeiras, no longer play football with just emotions. They still retain the charming "samba" quality in their delicate individual handling, but the difference is that the way they organize their play is much more methodical, scientific and calculated. It is no coincidence that both teams are in the quarter-finals of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025.

When South American representatives are well prepared, they are capable of threatening the giants from Europe. Especially in knockout matches, surprises can happen at any time. Not only in terms of tactics, but the fighting spirit of South American teams is always extremely strong when facing opponents from the old continent. As for Al Hilal, they have a quality squad with many players who have played in Europe such as Koulibaly, Cancelo, Ruben Neves, Malcom... and a coach who just brought Inter Milan to the final of the Champions League. It can be said that the Saudi Arabian team is not much different from a European representative.

Previously, many fans assumed that the FIFA Club World Cup was an "extended version" of the Champions League, where European teams were almost guaranteed to win the tournament. But this year, things are different. Fluminense, Palmeiras, Al Hilal are no longer afraid of European representatives and are ready to create more shocks.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/fifa-club-world-cup-2025-khi-chau-au-phai-than-trong-18525070121335975.htm