Ranking the FIFA Club World Cup’s round of 16 knockouts: PSG vs. Inter Miami, Real Madrid vs. Juventus, more

The group phase of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup is over and we’ve got the 16 best teams in a race to win the first edition of the new format of the tournament. After the group phase, which was divided in eight groups formed by the 32 teams involved, we have now a bracket that will last until the final that will take place on July 13 at MetLife Stadium. Starting from the eight matchups of the Round of 16, let’s rank all the matches that will take place starting from this weekend.

8. Borussia Dortmund vs. Monterrey 

Borussia Dortmund will face Mexican side Monterrey, after the German giants managed to get through the group stage by ending up in first place of their group and scoring two wins and one draw against Fluminense, Mamelodi and Ulsan HD. The team coached by Niko Kovac will face the Mexican team, that managed to get through in the same group with Inter, River Plate and Urawa Red Diamonds, being one of the surprises of the first phase of the tournament. In particular, Monterrey were able to draw against both Inter in the opening match thanks to the opening goal of former Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos, and in the second one against River Plate before winning the key game against the Japanese team. 

• Date: Tuesday, July 1 | Time: 9 p.m. ET
• Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium — Atlanta, Georgia 
• Live stream: Watch on DAZN (for free)
• Odds: BVB -140; Draw +270; Monterey +360

7. Benfica vs. Chelsea 

The two European teams will meet as Benfica managed to end up at the top of Group C after winning the last key game against Bayern Munich (one draw, two wins in three games) while Chelsea after winning the UEFA Conference League ended up behind Flamengo in the group stage of the tournament. The two teams know each other, as they also met in the 2012-13 edition of the UEFA Europa League final, when the side coached by Rafa Benitez won 2-1 in the final thanks to a late goal of Branislav Ivanovic. 

• Date: Saturday, June 28 | Time: 4 p.m. ET
• Location: Bank of America Stadium — Charlotte, North Carolina 
• Live stream: Watch on DAZN (for free)
• Odds: Benfica +250; Draw +230; Chelsea +110

6. Flamengo vs. Bayern Munich 

The Brazilian side, after ending up at the top of Group D will meet Bayern Munich, the German champions, who, by losing 1-0 to Benfica, ended up as runners up of Group C. Flamengo were one of the surprises of the tournament so far, and showed also how well the Brazilian sides are performing as all four teams from Brazil qualified for the round of 16 of the tournament, and two of them will meet a European side while Botafogo and Palmeiras will face each others in the first match of the round of 16’s schedule on Saturday. 

• Date: Sunday, June 29 | Time: 4 p.m. ET
• Location: Hard Rock Stadium — Miami, Florida 
• Live stream: Watch on DAZN (for free)
• Odds: Flamengo +390; Draw +290; Bayern Munich -165

5. Inter vs. Fluminense 

Talking about European teams meeting a Brazilian side, Inter will face Fluminense on Monday, in one of the most interesting matches of the Round of 16. The Italian giants qualified for the knockout stages thanks to a 2-0 win against River Plate in the last matchday of the group phase, thanks to the goals of Italian wonderkid Francesco Pio Esposito and Alessandro Bastoni. The team now coached by Cristian Chivu will face Fluminense in the round of 16, and can potentially meet their former coach Simone Inzaghi if Al-Hilal will knock out Manchester City in the next round. 

• Date: Monday, June 30 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
• Location: Bank of America Stadium — Charlotte, North Carolina 
• Live stream: Watch on DAZN (for free)
• Odds: Inter -145; Draw +240; Fluminense +430

4. Palmeiras vs. Botafogo 

The Brazilian derby between Palmeiras and Botafogo is by far one of the most fascinating matches of the round of 16, that will also kick off the knockout stages of the tournament on Saturday. Palmeiras ended up at the top of Group A with five points with one win against Al-Ahly and two draws against Inter Miami, that ended up second in their group, and FC Porto. Botafogo, on the other hand, managed to get through in the group with PSG and Atletico de Madrid, as all the three teams ended up with six points, but thanks to the goal difference the Brazilian side qualified for the round of 16 while the Spanish team was eliminated. 

• Date: Saturday, June 28 | Time: 12 p.m. ET
• Location: Lincoln Financial Field — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 
• Live stream: Watch on DAZN (for free)
• Odds: Palmeiras +135; Draw +195; Botafogo +240

3. Manchester City vs. Al-Hilal 

Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City will face Al-Hilal, the team now coached by Simone Inzaghi that qualified to the round of 16 thanks to their win in the last matchday against Pachuca. The English side were the only team in the tournament to win all three games of the group stage, scoring 13 goals in three games and conceding only two in the 5-2 win against Juventus in the last matchday (both sides were already qualified). On the other hand, the Saudi team drew the first two games against Real Madrid (1-1) and RB Salzburg (0-0) before winning the last key game against Pachuca and qualifying for the next round. The winner of this tie will face either Inter or Fluminense, and Inzaghi could potentially meet the team he managed until the 2025 Champions League final lost 5-0 to PSG. 

• Date: Monday, June 30 | Time: 9 p.m. ET
• Location: Camping World Stadium — Orlando, Florida 
• Live stream: Watch on DAZN (for free)
• Odds: Man City -360; Draw +480; Al-Hilal +700

2. PSG vs. Inter Miami 

The French giants and 2025 UEFA Champions League winners will meet Inter Miami and Lionel Messi, who played for the French side from the summer 2021 to 2023 when he moved to the United States. Messi and the former Barcelona players will also meet their former coach, Luis Enrique, who is now coaching the French giants in a very fascinating and nostalgic matchup. The winning side will face either Flamengo or Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals. 

• Date: Sunday, June 29 | Time: 12 p.m. ET
• Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium — Atlanta, Georgia 
• Live stream: Watch on DAZN (for free)
• Odds: PSG -600; Draw +600; Inter Miami +1000

1. Real Madrid vs. Juventus

This is by far the best matchup of the round of 16 as the two historic European teams will meet in the first knockout stage of the tournament. Both sides are going through a summer revolution with managers Xabi Alonso and Igor Tudor, also having some ups and down so far in the tournament. The Spanish side ended up at the top of Group H with one draw (1-1) against Al-Hilal and two wins against Pachuca and RB Salzburg while Juventus won against Al-Ain and Wydad before losing 5-2 to Manchester City. It will be an interesting test for both teams, knowing there is still a lot of work to do in the summer ahead of the 2025-26 season. 

• Date: Tuesday, July 1 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
• Location: Hard Rock Stadium — Miami, Florida 
• Live stream: Watch on DAZN (for free)
• Odds: Real Madrid -165; Draw +260; Juventus +480