Just shy of two weeks ago, the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ started with 32 hopefuls looking for global glory. Forty-eight matches, 144 goals and 13 action-packed days later, we’re down to 16 teams who can still take home the prestigious trophy.
Read on for a look at some of the biggest reunions we could see to add even more drama to the global finals’ crescendo.
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Lionel Messi’s first meeting with Paris Saint-Germain since leaving in 2023 is arguably the headline reunion of the last 16. The Inter Miami CF marvel shook planet football when he departed Barcelona in 2021 for the Parisien giants, where he went on to play 75 matches. He could meet old foe Real Madrid C. F. for a 48th time in the semi-final, while former mentor Pep Guardiola is a potential final opponent.
His Argentinian compatriot Enzo Fernandez is also due a meeting with old frineds when Chelsea FC take on SL Benfica. The midfielder joined the Eagles in 2022 before going on to win the FIFA World Cup Young Player Award and the title itself in Qatar, paving the way for a British-record transfer to the Blues. Chelsea could do battle with Manchester City in the semi-finals in a reunion for a number of their stars, including Cole Palmer. Benfica’s Angel Di Maria could come up against Real Madrid, Juventus FC or PSG, while coach Bruno Lage may lock horns with previous side Botafogo in the last eight.
Fluminense FC’s Thiago Silva will come up against familiar foe FC Internazionale Milano in the last 16, with the ageless defender having played 119 times for their rivals AC Milan from 2009-2012. He could also meet former employers Chelsea and PSG later in the tournament.
It seemed inevitable that Joao Cancelo would meet one of his former clubs at these finals. The Al Hilal man, after all, has played for a tournament-high six of them, and will face off against Manchester City in the last 16. Victory there may set up a quarter-final tie with Inter – which would also signify a quick turnaround for coach Simone Inzaghi – and Benfica could be waiting in the last four. FC Bayern München and Juventus, meanwhile, can only be met in the showpiece match.
If City progress then Mateo Kovacic could face off against Inter in the last eight with Chelsea and Real Madrid also possibilities later down the line. A potential bout with Benfica in the semis would see Ruben Dias, Ederson and Bernardo Silva go toe-to-toe with their old side, while City’s Borussia Dortmund alums Manuel Akanji, Ilkay Gundogan and Erling Haaland could do the same in the final itself.
In the dugout, Guardiola could take on FC Bayern München, who he led to seven trophies in three years during the 2010s, in the final. That match would also see Vincent Kompany go up against the team he played more than 350 games for during his playing days.
Real Madrid’s Dean Huijsen will take on Juventus in the last 16 less than a year since leaving the Italian giants. Victory there could pave the way to a rematch of the 2024 UEFA Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund in the quarter-finals, where Jude Bellingham would not only face his former side, but go up against his younger brother, Jobe, for the first time. Thibaut Courtois and Antonio Rudiger, meanwhile, could face off against Chelsea in the final.
Kylian Mbappe is yet to play at these finals following illness, but would surely relish a potential showpiece meeting with PSG on 13 July. There could also be a trip down memory for coach Xabi Alonso, with Bayern – the club he finished his stellar 17-year career at – one of four hypothetical semi-final challengers.
PSG’s Achraf Hakimi, much like Cancelo, has plied his tried for a number of teams still in the tournament. He came through the ranks at Real and spent two years on loan at Dortmund – both of which are possible semi-final opposition – and spent one season with Inter.
Coach Luis Enrique can also count Los Blancos among his former employers, having played for them during the 1990s. He later went on to coach Barcelona, where he led a team including Inter Miami’s Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, Javier Mascherano and Messi to a treble in 2015.
CF Monterrey’s heavy Spanish influence means there are a number of juicy storylines-in-the-making among the Rayados ranks. Captain Sergio Ramos has rolled back the years at these finals and may come up against Real Madrid – the club he played more than 650 matches for – in the last eight, with fellow former side PSG also a possible knockout foe. Coach Domenec Torrent spent more than a decade as Pep Guardiola’s assistant at Barcelona, Bayern and Manchester City, though their paths can only cross in the decider.
