FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Group C Preview, Squads & Fixtures

​​Two-time Club World Cup winners Bayern Munich will be the top team in Group C with fellow UEFA side Benfica, Argentinian heavyweights Boca Juniors and semi-professional team Auckland City, the rest of the lot. The matches of the group will kick off on 15th June with the Bundesliga winners taking on the OFC’s best-ranked team in Cincinnati. Group C will have four more venues with two games played in Miami, with Orlando, Nashville and Charlotte having one each. The latter will be hosting the group decider between Benfica and Bayern Munich at Bank of America Stadium on June 24, 2025.                          

Group C Teams: FIFA Club World Cup 2025

Group C of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 features a compelling mix of elite European powerhouses, South American giants, and Oceania’s most dominant club. With Bayern Munich, Benfica, Boca Juniors, and Auckland City all set to clash, fans can expect both quality and passion on display. 

Bayern Munich

Another team that will be in the mix to win the Club World Cup 2025 is Bayern Munich, who are tipped to win their group, which should be less challenging considering their opposition and the experience they have in this competition. The Bavarians returned to the summit of the Bundesliga after losing their league dominance to Bayer Leverkusen last year. Manager Vincent Kompany managed to pull the German giants back where they belong in his debut season, their striker Harry Kane also winning his first major trophy, but failed to progress further than the quarterfinals in the Champions League. It is an enigma they want to break by winning the new Club World Cup, having won the competition twice before in its old format. Bayern has a talented squad to achieve it, but there are players leaving them mid-tournament, with their contracts running down. Leroy Sané, who has completed his move to Galatasaray, will play for Bayern Munich in the group stages of the Club World Cup until his contract expires at the end of this month. This will be the last tournament for Thomas Muller in a Bayern Munich shirt as he bids farewell to the club where he has given his 17 years of service since breaking into the senior team.        

Bayern Munich Club World Cup 2025 Squad

Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer, Daniel Peretz, Jonas Urbig, Leon Klanac

Defenders: Dayot Upamecano, Kim Min-jae, Jonathan Tah, Eric Dier, Raphaël Guerreiro, Sacha Boey, Cassiano Kiala, Josip Stanišić, Adam Aznou

Midfielders: Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka, João Palhinha, Tom Bischof, Konrad Laimer, Maurice Krattenmacher, Jamal Musiala, Aleksandar Pavlović, Lennart Karl, David Santos

Forwards: Serge Gnabry, Harry Kane, Leroy Sané, Kingsley Coman, Michael Olise, Gabriel Vidović, Thomas Müller, Wisdom Mike, Jonah Kusi-Asare

Manager: Vincent Kompany

Benfica

If not winning the group, Benfica should be good enough to clinch the second spot in Group C, provided that they don’t fall victim to an upset by tricky Boca Juniors in their tournament opener. The Portuguese giants, who have a joint-record 87 major trophies in history, including a record 38 Primeira Liga titles and a record 26 Taça de Portugal, came close to winning both silverware last season but were narrowly beaten each time by Sporting CP. Bruno Lage’s men also made it to the last-16 stage of the Champions League, with the goal-hungry striker Vangelis Pavlidis scoring seven in 12 games continentally and smashing 19 goals domestically. World Cup winner with Argentina, Ángel Di Maria, also contributed to 23 goals in 40 games last season and will play his last competition for the Eagles after signing for his boyhood club Rosario Central back in his homeland. Benfica also have the talented Turkish duo, Orkun Kökçü and Kerem Aktürkoğlu, making them a team not to be taken lightly. Although they have not defeated Bayern Munich in the fixture’s history, the two-time European champions will want to push them to the limit in the battle for the top spot.                     

Benfica Club World Cup 2025 Squad

Goalkeepers: Anatoliy Trubin, Diogo Ferreira, André Gomes

Defenders: Álvaro Carreras, António Silva, Samuel Dahl, Nicolás Otamendi, Rui Silva, Gonçalo Oliveira, Joshua Wynder, Leandro Santos, Adrian Bajrami

Midfielders: Fredrik Aursnes, Orkun Kökçü, Leandro Barreiro, Florentino Luís, João Veloso, Rafael Luís, Renato Sanches, Diogo Prioste

Forwards: Ángel Di María, Vangelis Pavlidis, Kerem Aktürkoğlu, Andrea Belotti, Andreas Schjelderup, Gianluca Prestianni, Bruma, Tiago Gouveia, João Rego, Eduardo Fernandes

Manager: Bruno Lage

Boca Juniors

The most successful club in Argentina’s club football history, Boca Juniors, will be making their second appearance in the Club World Cup, being the second-best ranked side in the last four years in CONMEBOL, behind arch-rivals River Plate. Along with it, Los Xeneizes will bring their exuberant support to the United States to work as a 12th man in games, especially in a tough group in a global tournament like this. They are also set to play in the competition under new management, Miguel Ángel Russo, in his third spell with the club, with his first games in charge of his new job coming in the Club World Cup 2025, having only been appointed in early June. Boca are struggling with form, ending their season with no wins in the final four games, including a 2-1 loss in the Superclásico, so Russo has a major challenge to turn things around, although the Club World Cup don’t look to be an ideal place to start with. Despite having the capability of causing issues for the group favourites, containing the old guards of the Argentinian national team, like goalkeeper Sergio Romero and Marcos Rojo or European league experience of Ander Herrera and Edinson Cavani, although neither of them is a nailed-on starter for the side, with other reliable players in the squad, Boca Juniors don’t look to break into the top two.         

Boca Juniors Club World Cup 2025 Squad

Goalkeepers: Sergio Romero, Leandro Brey, Javier García, Agustín Marchesín 

Defenders: Marcelo Saracchi, Nicolás Figal, Marcos Rojo, Luis Advíncula, Frank Fabra, Lautaro Blanco, Juan Barinaga, Marco Pellegrino, Ayrton Costa, Mateo Mendía, Lautaro Di Lollo, Lucas Blondel

Midfielders: Rodrigo Battaglia, Carlos Palacios, Ignacio Miramón, Williams Alarcón, Agustín Martegani, Alan Velasco, Ander Herrera, Kevin Zenón, Malcom Braida, Tomás Belmonte, Camilo Rey Domenech, Milton Delgado, Santiago Dalmasso

Forwards: Exequiel Zeballos, Milton Giménez, Edinson Cavani, Lucas Janson, Miguel Merentiel, Brian Aguirre

Manager: Miguel Ángel Russo

Auckland City

Auckland City are the record appearance maker in the Club World Cup, with the 2025 edition being their 12th. The semi-professional side is the outright best team in the OFC, having won the confederation’s Champions League tournament a record 13 times and every single time since 2022. They also won the continental prize for seven straight editions between 2011 and 2017. However, the New Zealand-based outfit has been the weakest side to participate in the Club World Cup aside from the 2009 edition when they finished fifth and their best achievement of reaching the semifinals in 2014. With the competition now expanded to 32 teams in 2025, repeating such miracles will be almost negligible for Auckland City, with elite sides being pumped more into the competition. The Navy Blues will at least try to prevent a humiliation with three scoring experts in the group.            

Auckland City Club World Cup 2025 Squad

Goalkeepers: Conor Tracey, Sebastián Ciganda, Nathan Garrow, Sebastián Ciganda, Nathan Garrow

Defenders: Mario Ilich, Adam Mitchell, Christian Gray, Nikko Boxall, Regont Murati, Nathan Lobo, Dylan Connolly, Adam Bell, Alfie Rogers

Midfielders: Jackson Manuel, Gerard Garriga, Jordan Vale, Jeremy Foo, Matt Ellis, Zhou Tong, Michael den Heijer 

Forwards: Myer Bevan, Angus Kilkolly, Dylan Manickum, Ryan De Vries, Joseph Lee, Jerson Lagos, David Yoo, Haris Zeb

Manager: Ivan Vicelich

FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Group C Fixtures & Venues

Who Will Qualify from Group C in the FIFA Club World Cup 2025?

Bayern Munich are clear favourites to top Group C. With a star-studded squad led by Harry Kane, Jamal Musiala, and Joshua Kimmich, they should ease through despite missing Leroy Sané after the group stage and bidding farewell to Thomas Müller.

Benfica are expected to grab the second spot. With Ángel Di María, Vangelis Pavlidis, and a strong midfield, they have enough quality to edge past Boca Juniors.

Boca Juniors could pose a threat if they start well, but managerial changes and poor recent form may hold them back.

Auckland City, though experienced, are unlikely to trouble the top three.

Predicted Qualifiers: Bayern Munich, Benfica

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