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The FIFA Club World Cup 2025 logo
Clubs from 10 different countries and four confederations head into the Round of 16
All 32 teams scored at least once during a goal-filled group stage that saw 72 nationalities represented and more than 1.6 million fans flock to games as the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ truly united the world.
Al Ain FC’s 2-1 victory against Wydad AC in their final Group G encounter, meant each of the participating teams found the net in the group stage as clubs from five confederations and 15 different nations won at least one match. The collective tally of 144 goals across the 48 group games in the 12 venues in the United States translated into a hugely entertaining average of three goals per 90 minutes.
Brazil had the most goalscorers of any country with 18, just ahead of South American neighbours Argentina (17), with France (11) next among the 38 different nationalities that found the net. Given that statistic, it is perhaps a surprise that no Brazilian features among the group stage’s leading goalscorers, though France’s Michael Olise (FC Bayern München) and Argentina’s Ángel Di María (SL Benfica) do. They sit alongside Olise’s teammate Jamal Musiala and Wessam Abou Ali (Al Ahly FC), who scored the group stage’s two hat-tricks, as well as Kenan Yildiz (Juventus FC) on three goals each.
In total, 72 nationalities were represented on the pitch, with Brazil and Argentina again leading the way with the most players (91 and 73 respectively). Portugal (32) were third-highest overall and the best-represented European country, just ahead of fellow FIFA World Cup 2030™ co-hosts Spain (31). Mexico (26), Morocco (22), New Zealand (22) and Korea Republic (18) were the leaders of their respective confederations, Concacaf, the Confederation of African Football (CAF), the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
The total attendance across the group stage of 1,667,819 – at an average of 34,746 fans per match – shows just how the most inclusive global club competition ever has captured the imagination of supporters. The opening Group B game between European champions Paris Saint-Germain and Atlético de Madrid in the Rose Bowl Stadium, Los Angeles, saw the biggest attendance of the group stage at 80,619 with the 70,248 that saw Real Madrid C. F. face CF Pachuca in Charlotte the next biggest. In fact, Madrid proved a real fan favourite with all three of the record 15-time European champions’ Group H games among the top five highest attendances of the group stage with Bayern’s Group C encounter with CA Boca Juniors at Hard Rock Stadium completing that quintet (63,587 fans).
A general view of the stadium during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 group H match between Real Madrid CF and CF Pachuca at Bank of America Stadium
Bayern’s opening-game 10-0 defeat of Auckland City FC and Borussia Dortmund’s thrilling 4-3 win over Mamelodi Sundowns FC in Cincinnati contributed to the TQL Stadium seeing a massive 21 goals in just four matches at a group-stage high average of 5.25 goals per game. Entertainment was high at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field (19 goals in six matches) and Seattle’s Lumen Field (18 goals in six matches) too.
Teboho Mokoena #4 of Mamelodi Sundowns FC and Serhou Guirassy #9 of Borussia Dortmund
Of the six confederations represented among the 32 participating teams, four remain as the tournament heads into the Round of 16. Europe has nine teams in the first knockout stage, but there is already certain to be a CONMEBOL representative in the quarter-finals: two of the four South American teams that qualified, Brazilian duo Palmeiras and Botafogo, meet in the first Round of 16 game in Philadelphia on Saturday 28 June.
Ten different nations are represented among the 16 teams still in with a chance of being crowned the first true club world champions in New York New Jersey on 13 July with Brazil having the most members of that exclusive group with four. There are also a competition-high 117 Brazilian players in the squads of the Round of 16 clubs with Italy (35) and Germany (34) the next-most represented, while 49 different countries will have at least one player involved.
Di María is one of 14 FIFA World Cup™ winners still in the competition. The former Argentina international, who lifted world football’s biggest prize in Qatar in 2022, is one of 15 players who have featured at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 to have now scored in both competitions. (FIFA.COM)
