The 2024/25 European season ended in style on Saturday 31 May, with Paris Saint-German brushing aside FC Internazionale Milano 5-0 in a record-breaking UEFA Champions League final victory.
While PSG were crowned European champions for the first time and FC Bayern München took back their Bundesliga crown, other European clubs come into the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ looking at the competition as a chance to bounce back, or even to make amends for a disappointing season.
In this article, FIFA will be going through the 12 European contenders examining their achievements over the past season.
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Atlético de Madrid
Although they were in contention for the Spanish title throughout much of the season, Antoine Griezmann and Atlético de Madrid fell at the final hurdle, ending up in third place behind FC Barcelona and Real Madrid C.F. Los Colchoneros also fell short against their Catalan rivals in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey, losing a tense two-legged tie by an aggregate score of 5-4.
Their European dreams were likewise shattered by familiar opponents, as Real Madrid came out on top over Diego Simeone’s men in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16. The Madrid rivals couldn’t be separated over two legs, and the match had to be decided on penalties. The shootout was a memorable one, with Julian Alvarez seeing his successful penalty ruled out by VAR four a double touch, giving Real Madrid a 4-2 win. With the pain of these disappointments still keenly felt, Atlético will be desperate to make amends in the USA.
Bayern München
After losing last season’s league title to Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern München reclaimed their throne as champions of Germany this season. It was also a personal triumph for star striker Harry Kane, who lifted a trophy for the first time in his career. By contrast, the German giants had a tricky time on the European stage. Vincent Kompany’s men produced sub-par performances as they lost to Inter 4-3 on aggregate. With Thomas Muller’s legendary career coming to an end, Bayern will certainly want to honour him with victory on the world stage.
Benfica
Edged out by Lisbon rivals Sporting in both the league and the cup, As Águias got some measure of revenge by beating the same opponents 7-6 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the Portuguese League Cup final. On the European scene, Benfica went toe to toe with Barcelona, but didn’t quite have enough in the tank and were eliminated by a 3-2 aggregate scoreline. It has been a frustrating year for Angel di Maria, Orkun Kokcu and the rest of the team, but the Club World Cup represents a chance to put a shine on their season.
Borussia Dortmund
The arrival of Niko Kovac as manager in February completely transformed the fortunes of Borussia Dortmund. They suffered early elimination in the German Cup, and found themselves floundering in 11th place in the Bundesliga after 22 games, but the Croatian coach steered them to a fourth-place finish. This recovery secured them Champions League qualification for the tenth season in a row, which was also the scene for their best performances of this season. Having been losing finalists last time out, Emre Can and co came up against an impressive Barcelona side in this year’s quarter final. However, despite a fantastic 3-1 victory in the second leg, they were beaten 5-3 on aggregate.
Sehrou Guirassy netted 13 times for BVB throughout the competition, which was enough to make him joint-top scorer with Brazilian star Raphinha. Dortmund arrive in the United States on the back of a nine-match unbeaten streak in the league and will be looking to continue their upward trajectory at the Club World Cup.
Chelsea
Enzo Maresca’s men hit a bump in the road at the start of 2025, dropping to eighth place in the Premier League shortly after mid-season. However, their form to close out the season was far stronger. The Blues climbed back up to fourth spot and continued to dominate in the UEFA Conference League, collecting the only European trophy that had been missing from their collection. If Cole Palmer can continue to put on the kind of displays that led his team to a 4-1 victory against Real Betis in the Conference League Final, Chelsea will certainly fancy themselves as contenders at the Club World Cup.
Internazionale Milano
Up until mid-April, Inter Milan’s fans would have been dreaming of a brilliant quadruple. After a 4-1 aggregate defeat at the hands of AC Milan in the semi-finals of the Italian Cup, they slumped to a 2-2 draw against Lazio on the second-last matchday of Serie A, allowing Napoli to win the title by a single point. The Champions League final added insult to injury for Lautaro Martinez, Nicolo Barella and the rest of the team as they were outclassed by Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final, suffering a 5-0 defeat. Inter will have to pick themselves up quickly in order to show the world what they can really do at the Club World Cup, and will have to do so without coach Simone Inzaghi, who recently left for Al Hilal.
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Juventus
After a difficult first half of the season, including early elimination from the Champions League and a 4-2 penalty defeat against Empoli in the Italian Cup, Juventus turned things around with the hiring of coach Igor Tudor. With the Croatian at the helm and the likes of Khephren Thuram, Weston McKennie on the pitch, the Bianconeri won five and drew eight of their last nine games, with a 1-0 reverse against Parma being the only blot on their copybook. Buoyed by their recent form, Juve will feel as though the Club World Cup has come at the perfect time for them, and will arrive in the United States with the aim of taking a prestigious trophy home to their fans.
Manchester City
This season was probably the most challenging for Manchester City since Pep Guardiola’s arrival in 2016. In the Premier League, not only did they fail to extend their four-year streak of league titles, but they also fell to a third-place finish, their lowest since the 2016/17 season. In cup competitions, City were eliminated from the Champions League before the round of 16, they were swiftly knocked out of the EFL cup, losing 2-0 to Tottenham Hotspur in the fourth round, and were beaten 1-0 by Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final. A victory on penalties in the Community Shield over Manchester United in August 2024 was the sole bright spot this season for Erling Haaland, Ruben Dias and the rest of the side. It goes without saying that they will be looking at this global competition as a chance for redemption.
Paris Saint-Germain
The 2024/25 season will live long in the memory for Paris Saint-German. On 31 May, Luis Enrique’s men reached the pinnacle of the European game, thumping Inter Milan 5-0 to lift the UEFA Champions League trophy for the first time in their history. One week prior, they had claimed their 16th French Cup, comfortably dispatching Reims by three goals to nil at the Stade de France. They also won a 13th Ligue 1 title – their fourth in a row, and beat Monaco 1-0 in the Champions Trophy, also their 13th. With the likes of Ousmane Dembele and the prodigious Desire Doue to call upon, the Parisians are considered the favourites to elevate this incredible season into the stratosphere.
Porto
The first season of Andre Villas-Boas’ presidency of FC Porto has been a mixed bag, and supporters will be split over whether it has been a positive or negative season overall. The Dragões finished third in the league, which is a difficult outcome to stomach for a team that had set their sights on adding to their 30 league titles. Despite the efforts of Diogo Costa, they were dumped out of the Portuguese Cup by Moreirense in the round of 32, and were beaten 1-0 by Sporting in the semi-finals of the League Cup. For a team still licking their wounds, the Club World Cup represents a chance to avenge a disappointing season and claim some silverware.
Real Madrid
Spearheaded by the brilliant Kylian Mbappe, who claimed the La Liga Golden Boot with 31 goals, Real Madrid’s season has had some real highs and lows. Highlights included beating Atalanta BC and C.F. Pachuca to win the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Intercontinental Cup™ respectively. However, their Champions League campaign was a different story, as they were seen off in the quarter-finals by Arsenal, who claimed a 5-1 aggregate victory over Los Merengues. In the league, Jude Bellingham and their other stars could do nothing to prevent Barcelona claiming the title, as they lost El Clásico home and away, by scorelines of 4-0 and 4-3. Having also been beaten by their Catalan rivals in the final of the Spanish Cup and the Spanish Super Cup, Real Madrid – now led by Xabi Alonso after Carlo Ancelotti took over as manager of the Brazil national side – will be desperate to get their hands on this trophy.
FC Salzburg
FC Salzburg’s dominance of the Austrian league has stuttered over the last couple of seasons. Salzburg surrendered the league title to Sturm Graz, suffered a shock 2-1 quarter-final elimination in the Austrian Cup at the hands of LASK, and collapsed to a 34th place finish in the 36-team league phase of the Champions League. Nicolas Capaldo and the rest of the team will be desperate to give their fans something to celebrate, but they will need to be at their very best to triumph in the USA.
