The FIFA Club World Cup kicks off in the USA in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Even if you’re a neutral, it promises to deliver good quality football for those who are prepared to stay up for it.
The new-look tournament features 32 teams, divided into eight groups of four teams, with the top two teams in each group qualifying for the knockout stage.
The last-16 stage then moves to the quarter-final, semi-final and then final on July 13. There is no third-place play-off between the two losing semi-final teams.
According to Opta…
- Paris Saint-Germain (18.5%) are named favourites to win the FIFA Club World after their stunning Champions League success last month.
- Our predictive model sees PSG as the most likely winners for what will be their first CWC participation, although the French side only came out marginally ahead of Premier League heavyweights Manchester City (17.8%).
- Those teams are in a group of ‘Big Six’ contenders, which also includes German champions Bayern Munich (12.8%), UCL runners-up Inter (12.3%), five-time winners Real Madrid (9.8%) and 2021 victors Chelsea (8.4%).
- Borussia Dortmund, Atlético Madrid, Juventus and Benfica are the other sides who come into the tournament with realistic hopes of reaching the latter stages.
- Clubs from Europe are expected to dominate the competition but star-studded Al-Hilal and Inter Miami – playing on home soil with Lionel Messi in their ranks – are among the teams seen as most likely to spring a surprise on the UEFA teams.
Our tip for the tournament is Borussia Dortmund. At 25/1 they are worth an each-way punt on reaching the final!
Check back for match-by-match odds and offers as the tournament progresses.
