2025 Club World Cup: The Seven Best Matches Ranked

2025 Club World Cup fever gripped fans worldwide, delivering the sort of drama only a month-long, winner-takes-all festival can create. From Lionel Messi’s swansong heroics with Inter Miami to Saudi giants Al-Hilal shocking Europe’s elite, the expanded competition proved why FIFA’s new format is here to stay. After four intense weeks and 63 matches, we pick out the seven encounters that defined the summer and will live longest in the memory.

How we ranked the 2025 Club World Cup classics

The 2025 Club World Cup served up sumptuous goals, tactical chess matches and gasp-inducing upsets. Our ranking weighs entertainment value, stakes, historical significance and sheer narrative pull. A late equaliser in a dead-rubber group game is fun; a last-minute winner that sends favourites home is unforgettable. With that lens, here are the chosen seven.

1. Inter Miami 3-2 Porto – Group Stage, Matchday 2

No contest better captured the 2025 Club World Cup’s spirit than Inter Miami’s comeback against Porto. The Portuguese side led 2-0 after 25 minutes, exploiting Miami’s high line. Then Messi took over. A trademark free-kick halved the deficit before the break, Luis Suárez levelled with an acrobatic volley, and in minute 88 teenage winger Benjamin Cremaschi slid home the winner. DRV PNK South exploded, and the result ultimately vaulted Miami into the knockouts at Porto’s expense.

2. Al-Hilal 2-1 Manchester City – Quarter-final

Pep Guardiola’s treble winners looked on course for another cruise when Erling Haaland nodded them ahead early. Yet Al-Hilal, emboldened by Brazilian maestro Malcom, refused to bow. Kalidou Koulibaly powered in a set-piece header to equalise, before Salem Al-Dawsari’s curling strike shocked City on 78 minutes. The Saudi champions then defended as if their lives depended on it, booking a seismic semi-final berth and handing Guardiola his earliest elimination in a decade.

3. Paris Saint-Germain 4-4 Palmeiras – Group Stage, Matchday 3

PSG versus Palmeiras was gloriously chaotic. Eight goals, three lead changes and a 96th-minute equaliser by Endrick ensured both progression and pandemonium. Kylian Mbappé bagged a hat-trick, but Palmeiras’ rapid counters exposed PSG’s soft underbelly. The draw pushed the Parisians into a tougher side of the bracket, a twist that would haunt them later.

4. Real Madrid 3-2 Flamengo – Semi-final

Santiago Bernabéu fans witnessed a masterclass in resilience. Los Blancos trailed 2-1 until the 82nd minute when Jude Bellingham ghosted into the box to level. Two minutes later, Vinícius Júnior slalomed through his compatriots to net the winner. The 2025 Club World Cup may yet be remembered as Bellingham’s coming-of-age on the global stage.

5. Monterrey 5-4 Bayern Munich (Pens) – Round of 16

After a breathless 3-3 draw across 120 minutes, penalties were inevitable. Goalkeeper Esteban Andrada produced two stunning saves before stepping up himself to convert the clincher. Bayern’s shock exit reopened the perennial debate over European complacency at the 2025 Club World Cup.

6. Al Ahly 1-0 Seattle Sounders – Play-in Round

Low scoring, but high drama. Anfield-esque noise in Cairo helped the African champions edge MLS Cup holders Seattle with an injury-time header from Mohamed Sherif. The match mattered because it earned Al Ahly Africa’s first knockout win of the new-format event, igniting continental pride.

7. Auckland City 0-2 Urawa Red Diamonds – Preliminary

Sometimes context trumps glamour. A windswept night in New Zealand produced few headlines, yet Urawa’s disciplined victory opened the tournament with a reminder that every region belongs. Their reward? A lucrative meeting with Real Madrid—and a slice of 2025 Club World Cup folklore.

Key themes of the 2025 Club World Cup

Underdogs thriving

The expanded field means more pathways for so-called minnows. Al-Hilal and Monterrey’s heroics showed that tactical organisation and belief can topple even the richest squads.

South American resurgence

Flamengo and Palmeiras each reached the latter stages, their high-octane transitions unsettling European defences. With financial gaps narrowing, CONMEBOL sides look ready for a first title since Corinthians in 2012.

Star power still decisive

Messi, Mbappé, Bellingham—icons shaped results when it counted. The 2025 Club World Cup proved superstars remain difference makers, even as collective systems evolve.

What’s next for the competition?

FIFA will review scheduling, but early commercial data is encouraging: global viewership up 34 percent, stadium sell-outs in five host cities and social engagement eclipsing the last three Champions League finals combined. The success of the 2025 Club World Cup seems set to cement its slot in football’s crowded calendar.

Primary focus keyword in perspective

The 2025 Club World Cup didn’t just add matches; it expanded opportunity. More confederations, more narratives, and, crucially, more chances for supporters to dream. Whether you’re an Inter Miami devotee or a neutral who loves the unexpected, this summer proved the tournament’s worth.

Final whistle: Our verdict

The magic of football lives in moments: Cremaschi’s late winner, Al-Dawsari’s curler, Andrada’s brave save-and-score. The 2025 Club World Cup bottled those moments for a global audience. Long may the chaos continue.

Opinion: Enlarging the competition raised cynical eyebrows, yet the narrative riches and competitive balance it delivered should silence the doubters. If the next edition tightens travel burdens and referee consistency, the Club World Cup could rival the Euros for midsummer prestige.