Los Blancos are in the United States and getting ready to kick off their latest bid for global silverware. Our Real Madrid Club World Cup preview explores what to expect from their first competitive games under Xabi Alonso.
The Spanish giants have been drawn in Group H of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup which means they are one of the last teams to kick off their campaign. Predictions markets give Madrid around a 17% chance of winning the trophy, with only PSG seen as more likely champions.
How did Real Madrid qualify for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup?
Real Madrid qualified for the Club World Cup when they won the 2021/22 Champions League as the winners of that competition between 2021 and 2024 were all allocated slots.
They won the Champions League for the third time under Carlo Ancelotti in the 2023/24 season, and would also have qualified by virtue of the UEFA club coefficient ranking system which is how most European clubs secured their Club World Cup tickets.
Real Madrid’s Club World Cup history
Real Madrid have an extensive history at the Club World Cup which spans many decades when taking into account the competition’s various different forms.
They won the Intercontinental Cup twice in the 20th Century and again in 2002, but they weren’t so successful when FIFA first tried to hold a larger Club World Cup. That was in Brazil in 2000 but Los Blancos failed to make the final, and also lost the 3rd/4th place play-off on penalties against Necaxa of Mexico.
Their run of Champions League dominance in the 2010s, led to four more Club World Cup appearances between 2014 and 2018, with Real Madrid winning the competition on each occasion.
Fresh global silverware has been added recently too, with the side from the Spanish capital defeating Al-Hilal in the 2022 Club World Cup final and Pachuca in the 2024 Intercontinental Cup final. They will face both clubs again in the group stage of this summer’s competition.
Group stage opponents
Al-Hilal
Saudi side Al-Hilal gave Real Madrid a run for their money in the 2022 Club World Cup (played in early 2023), going down 5-3 in Morocco, with Vinicius Junior and Fede Valverde both scoring braces.
The Al-Hilal side that started that match is barely recognisable from the one that Madrid will face this summer though. With huge investment in the Saudi Pro League over the past couple of years, Al-Hilal have spent big and their current squad features the likes of Ruben Neves, Kalidou Koulibaly, Aleksandar Mitrovic, Joao Cancelo, Yassine Bounou and Malcom.
They are viewed as the most likely qualifiers along with Real Madrid from Group H, although it could be a tight three-horse race for the second qualification position, assuming Los Blancos take care of business as expected.
Pachuca
Winners of the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup, Mexican side Pachuca should be able to count on good support in the United States. Their last Liga MX triumph came in 2022 when they won the Apertura, but they are considered the outsiders in Group H so they’ll face a tall order in terms of targeting a round-of-16 place.
They have a fairly international squad, including a few names who may be more familiar to followers of Spanish and European football. That includes Kenedy who is on loan from Real Valladolid and Venezuelan striker Salomon Rondon.
RB Salzburg
While many of the more-fancied European teams would have needed to do a fair bit of scouting to find out more about their Club World Cup opponents, Real Madrid have faced all of their group-stage rivals recently, including RB Salzburg who they met in the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League.
That game at the Bernabeu in January ended in a comprehensive 5-1 win for the Spanish side, with all the goals coming from a front three of Vinicius, Rodrygo and Kylian Mbappe. Salzburg are seen as the weakest European team at this tournament and they failed to win the Austrian Bundesliga this term.
Real Madrid Club World Cup fixtures
Group stage
| Matchday | Date | Opponent | Venue |
| 1 | June 18th 2025 | Al-Hilal | Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens |
| 2 | June 22nd 2025 | Pachuca | Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte |
| 3 | June 26th 2025 | RB Salzburg | Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia |
It’s currently relatively easy to get your hands on Real Madrid Club World Cup tickets if you’re in the United States and hoping to catch them in action over the next few weeks. Alonso’s side will play their group matches in Miami, Charlotte and Philadelphia, with three-day rests between each fixture.
Tickets can be bought via FIFA, and if those sell out, it may still be possible to purchase tickets via resale platforms such as Hellotickets, although any third-party purchases are made at your own risk.
Real Madrid’s progress shouldn’t really be in much doubt, but it’ll be very interesting to see how they line up for the first time under former Bayer Leverkusen boss Alonso, with a switch to a back three likely.
Potential knockout path
| 1st in Group H | 2nd in Group H | |
| Round-of-16 | July 1st in Miami | June 30th in Orlando |
| Quarter-final | July 5th in New Jersey | July 4th in Orlando |
| Semi-final | July 9th in New Jersey | July 8th in New Jersey |
| Final | July 13th in New Jersey | July 13th in New Jersey |
Regardless of whether they finish 1st or 2nd in their group, Real Madrid would have to negotiate a potentially tricky round-of-16 fixture against a team from Group G which features Manchester City and Juventus.
Win the group and they’d return to Miami to face the runners-up from Group G. Advance from that, and they could set up base in New Jersey as all of their remaining games would be at MetLife Stadium.
Should they only finish 2nd in Group H, Real Madrid would still head back to Florida, although to Orlando rather than Miami, and they’d potentially have two games at the 60,000-capacity Camping World Stadium.
Who is in Xabi Alonso’s squad?
Real Madrid’s squad for the tournament includes new signings Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dean Huijsen who are both expected to have major roles to play under the new regime.
However, Alonso does inherit some of the injury problems that plagued his predecessor in his final season. Dani Carvajal, David Alaba, Eduardo Camavinga, Endrick, Antonio Rudiger, Ferland Mendy and Eder Militao have all been dealing with significant fitness issues.
While all have been named in the squad, it’s unclear whether any of those players will be able to take part in the opening game, and the likes of Carvajal, Alaba and Camavinga may struggle to play any part in the tournament.
Goalkeepers: Courtois, Lunin, Fran Gonzalez & Sergio Mestre
Defenders: Carvajal, Militao, Alaba, Alexander-Arnold, Vazquez, Fran Garcia, Rudiger, Mendy, Huijsen, Youssef, Jacobo, Asencio, Fortea & Diego Aguado
Midfielders: Bellingham, Camavinga, Valverde, Modric, Tchouameni, Guler, Ceballos, Chema, Víctor Muñoz & Mario Martin
Forwards: Vinicius, Mbappe, Rodrygo, Endrick, Brahim & Gonzalo
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