FIFA Club World Cup Soccer Championship Futures: Best Bets and Predictions

The Club World Cup has been expanded to 32 teams this year, but there are only a handful of teams with legitimate title aspirations. The single elimination format after the group stage gives a chance for a minnow to pull off the improbable, but the betting odds are not hesitating to assign heavy price tags to the outright favorites. Only seven teams are entering the competition with odds shorter than +2500, with the nine favorites all coming from the UEFA region.
You can get Club World Cup picks for each individual game, all tournament long, with Doc’s Sports. The massive payouts with championship picks come with the drawback of holding onto your betslip for up to a month, but the juicy payout makes it worth the wait. Here are the top seven contenders for the 2025 Club World Cup, with recommended bets for each hopeful club.
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Real Madrid: +400
Real Madrid has failed to win a trophy so far this season, falling short in La Liga and being eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Champions League. Despite this, it is hard to argue with the fact that Real Madrid are the outright favorites at the 2025 Club World Cup. Only four teams have won this competition more than once, and Real Madrid has done so five times. Their ability to turn up for big games is like no other club in the world. And with no Barcelona or Liverpool in this competition, it isn’t surprising to see them on top of the list. They are in a very winnable group featuring Al Hilal Riyadh, FC Salzburg, and Pachuca, and should have absolutely no problems punching their ticket into the knockout stages.
Real Madrid has a very talented lineup on both ends of the pitch, and their technical ability will allow them to pick off less polished teams. Vinicius Junior and Rodrigo provide the bulk of the offense, with Jude Bellingham storming up the middle of the pitch. Vinicius and his Real Madrid teammates feel as though he has been snubbed at the Ballon d’Or last year, and Real Madrid will have vengeance on their minds with the world watching. Even though Real Madrid has a stacked lineup with a clear path to the knockout stages, we simply cannot back them at +400 odds. They will likely have to face off against either Manchester City or Juventus in the first knockout stage match, and it will not get any easier after that. This might be a team to attack in the latter stages, but as of now, it is an easy pass.
Pick: Pass
Paris Saint-Germain: +500
Paris Saint-Germain dominantly won the Champions League and now have their gaze firmly fixed on the Club World Cup. The Parisian side had as good a season as one can hope for by completing the treble, and the young talent on their roster will have them confident in this tournament. PSG is in a group with Atletico Madrid. However, the other two teams, Seattle and Botafogo, will not cause them any problems. A favorable path to the quarterfinals also awaits PSG, and this is a price tag that can be justified before it gets slashed down to the +350 range at that stage.
PSG has the Ballon d’Or frontrunner in Ousmane Dembele on their roster, and they showed that anyone on the pitch can score when they smashed Inter Milan in the Champions League Final. Their young legs, combined with a deep squad, will keep them fresh, and Gianluigi Donnarumma has been known to step up under the bright lights. If you are looking to make a pick on one of the favorites, PSG is certainly the way to go. Not only will we be taking the +500 outright odds, but PSG at -175 to reach the Quarterfinals is an incredibly safe parlay piece.
Pick: PSG to win the Club World Cup +500, PSG to reach the Quarterfinals -175
Manchester City: +500
Manchester City had their streak of five consecutive Premier League titles snapped by Liverpool this season and were trophyless for the first time in nearly a decade. The Club World Cup title holders still should not be written off, as Manchester City is still a very dangerous squad. Their ironclad defense has shown weakness as of late but will get a huge lift with the return of defensive midfielder Rodri. Rodri is vital to this squad but has missed nearly a year with a torn ACL. His return gave Manchester City a lift down the stretch of the Premier League, and he will look to return his side to winning ways at this tournament. Winning Group G over Atletico Madrid will be a top priority to avoid a meeting with Real Madrid in the first knockout stage game. While Manchester City could certainly make a deep run, a tough path to the Final, combined with a lackluster season, has me looking in other directions at a price like this.
Pick: Pass
Bayern Munich: +700
The German champions have been a mainstay in the UEFA Champions League and are looking for their third Club World Cup title after winning the title twice in the last 15 years. Striker Harry Kane joined a very talented side and has now been in Germany for nearly two years. The prolific English striker has been the focal point of the Bayern attack and is poised for a big tournament in the United States.
Bayern Munich has the benefit of being in a group with amateur side Aackland City, and it would be a massive surprise if they failed to qualify for the knockout stages. Once there, they have a relatively straightforward path to the semi-finals, assuming they win Group C, and this is a price tag that could be slashed in the coming weeks. Looking for odds that are unlikely to remain available for long is the primary goal with tournament-long futures, and Bayern Munich to make a deep run is a great pick to make. Take them to win the Club World Cup, and you can also take them to reach the semifinals at +160 as a small hedge when there are inevitably only European giants left in the competition.
Pick: Bayern Munich to win the Club World Cup +800, Bayern Munich to reach the Semifinals +160
Chelsea: +1000
This is potentially my favorite pick among the favorites at the Club World Cup. Most of the European behemoths are coming off a draining season, but Chelsea had the squad depth needed to remain fresh. They rolled out almost an entirely different starting XI for the Premier League and Conference League and have 20+ players capable of doing a job. They failed to reach their targets domestically, but their ability to perform regardless of the opponent will come in handy. They are lucky to be in Group D, which lacks any other real contenders, and these are odds that will not be available for long. It is hard to overemphasize the importance of squad depth at a tournament with this format. This is nothing like the Champions League or other competitions these teams are used to playing, and Chelsea is built for a stage like this one. Don’t even bother taking them to reach a certain stage of the competition, as all the value lies with the juicy +1000 odds on Chelsea to rise above all the rest.
Top pick: Chelsea to win the Club World Cup +1000
Atletico Madrid: +1400
Atletico Madrid is not even the favorite to win their group, and I find it hard to justify +1400 odds with this team. Atletico has consistently fallen short in continental competitions, as their defensive style falls apart in the knockout stages. The duo of Alexander Sorloth and Julian Alvarez up top has begun to change that narrative, but these odds are not long enough to take a shot.
Atletico Madrid is in Group B alongside PSG. But fortunately, their second-place finish will not come with too many consequences. Inter Miami is joined by FC Porto and Palmeiras in Group A, and Atletico Madrid will not be too afraid of any of those teams. They will need to qualify from the group, then beat one of the aforementioned teams to reach the quarterfinals. You can certainly make an argument that there is value on Atletico Madrid to pull off that feat at +125 odds, but I will just opt to stay away.
Pick: Pass
Inter Milan: +1400
This is a truly disrespectful price on Inter Milan. The Serie A and Champions League runners-up had a fantastic season, other than the last month, and this is the perfect time to ‘buy low’ on the Italian side. Their ability to sit back, absorb pressure, then suddenly jump to life on the counterattack has already led to countless victories against the run of play. They have the offensive quality to dominate weaker sides, combined with the defensive backbone to go toe-to-toe with any team in the world. Their 5-0 debacle against PSG has shifted the public's opinion, but this is a side that can go all the way.
Pick: Inter Milan to win the Club World Cup +1400
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