The FIFA Club World Cup 2025 has been the centre stage of some thrilling encounters throughout the tournament. With the competition expanding to 32 teams and more games to be played, unlike the straight knockout format of the previous editions, some of the best sides competing around the globe are getting the chance to set an unprecedented record in the tournament. Despite the competition being guaranteed to be won by a European team again, there have been eye-catching success stories for other confederations against the UEFA side. It is especially true for the South American sides, with Brazilian clubs mainly producing exciting results, which will remain as historical records as the tournament in its new format progresses further in future.
Here are some of the record-breaking games at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025:
Bayern Munich 10-0 Auckland City - Record margin of victory (Group C, Round 1)
When the German giants Bayern Munich faced a semi-pro side in Auckland City, everyone knew that it would be a one-sided affair. However, few would have predicted the margin of victory the Bavarians will collect. The New Zealand-based side, consisting of part-time footballers who are daily workers in their respective fields, with some not even travelling for the game due to not receiving leave from their duties, was thrashed 10-0 in the game. Half of the goals came before half-time, with Kingsley Coman and Michael Olise scoring a brace. The rest came through substitute Jamal Musiala, who scored a splendid second-half hat-trick with Thomas Muller completing the tournament’s record scoring in the 89th minute with his second strike of the game. The only success, if considered so, for the Navy Blues was that they didn’t allow Bayern to rattle the net in the second period until the 67th minute and that their captain, Mario Ilich, who works as a supermarket sales representative for the brand Coca-Cola, finished as a better rated player than one of Europe’s best goal-getter, Harry Kane who surprisingly did not make the scoresheet and took just one shot in the entire game. Otherwise, it was no contest at all as the Bundesliga heavyweights outscored the opponents with 31 shots to merely one, keeping 17 on target, in the highest margin of victory ever recorded in the Club World Cup.
Real Madrid 1-1 Al Hilal - First point against Los Blancos (Group H, Round 1)
One of the most anticipated matches in the group stages of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 was the matchup between the record five-time tournament winners, Real Madrid and Saudi Pro League giants Al-Hilal, often referred to as the "Real Madrid of Asian club football," in their tournament opener. Both teams underwent significant managerial changes after disappointing seasons, replacing their successful coaches, Carlo Ancelotti of Real Madrid and Juan Jesus of Al-Hilal, with the rising star coach Xabi Alonso and Inter’s trophy-winning coach Simeone Inzaghi, respectively. It was the first game for the respective men and a repeat of the 2022 Club World Cup final. The encounter lived up to the expectation, with Al-Hilal producing a spirited start. However, it was Real Madrid that took the lead through academy graduate and tournament’s Golden Boot leader Gonzalo Garcia against the run of play. Inzaghi’s side, though, did not deviate from the way and got back into the game with a Ruben Neves penalty just before half-time. The score stayed 1-1 till the end of the game, with Yassine Bounou taking the credit for it, denying Madrid’s resurgence in the second half and also saving a last-minute penalty from Federico Valverde, to pull off a historic result for his side. Al-Hilal became the first team to avoid defeat against the Spanish giants in the tournament's history since the inaugural edition and this is not the only record they will break in the tournament.
Inter Miami 2-1 FC Porto - MLS side create history (Group A, Round 2)
Inter Miami and FC Porto faced off in their second group game of the 2025 Club World Cup, following a goalless draw in their openers, knowing that this clash would be crucial in determining their chances of advancing to the knockout stage. Although Miami had a superstar in Lionel Messi in store, along with his former Barcelona teammates Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and Luis Suarez, they were the least favourite team to go past the group stage, mainly due to their leaky defence, with Porto getting the nod over them despite their miserable campaign last time. The two-time Champions League winners seemed to prove their case when their star striker, Samuel Aghehowa, got them into the lead from the spot within just eight minutes. Looking at an early exit, the Herons needed to turn the scores in the second half and whatever their manager, Javier Mascherano, another Barcelona hero, told at half-time worked as they wasted little time to restore parity. Telasco Segovia scored an emphatic volley by getting past his marker from Marcelo Weigandt’s cross, only two minutes after the break, to raise the spirit of his side. The defining moment of the match arrived in the 54th minute when Miami won a foul at the edge of the box. Stepped up, who else but Messi, to score a picturesque free-kick to send the internet into frenzy and clinched a memorable win that would go on to ensure their qualification into the last-16 stage. This was the first time an MLS side ever recorded a win against a European team in history and it was fitting that one of the best names in the sport is the curator behind it.
PSG 0-1 Botafogo - Brazilian flair (Group B, Round 2)
The big upset of the tournament came in the clash between the two continental championship holders - UEFA Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain and Copa Libertadores champions Botafogo. Against the European juggernauts who scored five past Inter Milan in a record-breaking final to complete a historical treble and thrashed fellow UEFA side Atletico Madrid 4-0 in the previous game in their tournament opener, South America’s best not only scored but also managed to shut shop by defensive masterclass to clinch a memorable 1-0 win. Star forward and Nottingham Forest-bound talent, Igor Jesus, scored the only goal of the game with the help of a deflection off PSG’s defender Wiliam Pacho, for the euphoria of a section of huge support at the Rose Bowl arena. It was the first time a UCL winner lost to a CONMEBOL side in the competition since 2012, when Corinthians beat Chelsea to the prize, so it was more than just a victory for Botafogo. The win eventually secured their advancement to the knockout stage and initiated a series in which Brazilian teams stunned the European giants in the tournament.
FC Porto 4-4 Al Ahly - Goal fest (Group A, Round 3)
As they approached their final group match, both FC Porto and Al Ahly needed a victory to have any chance of qualifying for the knockout stage, but their fate also depended on the result between Palmeiras and Inter Miami. What transpired was a goal fest never seen in the history of the competition. The record champions of the CAF Champions League, Al Ahly, took the lead four times in the match, but sensationally, each time the Portuguese giant got it levelled. A chaotic period ensued when three goals were scored within three minutes early in the second half as both defences looked fragile to contain each other’s attack. Wessam Abou Ali scored a hat-trick for the Egyptians, with Ben Romdhane seeming to have scored the winner in the 64th minute. However, Porto managed to prevent another embarrassing defeat after Pepe equalised for the fourth time with only minutes left on the clock. The eight-goal thriller became the highest-scoring draw ever played in the Club World Cup, but the result suited no one as both suffered group stage elimination from the tournament.
Auckland City 1-1 Boca Juniors - Historic Point (Group C, Round 3)
When asked about Bayern Munich’s record thrashing of Auckland City, Boca Juniors' coach Miguel Ángel Russo seemed to suggest that the scores weren’t a surprise as the New Zealand-based side is, after all, a ‘semi-pro‘ team. He was made to bite his words when his side could only draw with the Navy Blues in the final group game, despite the opposition conceding 15 goals in total in the past two games. In a match they needed to win with a big margin to be in the top two after drawing with Benfica and losing to Bayern Munich, the Genoese failed to capitalise despite taking the lead through an own goal by Nathan Garrow in the 26th minute. Instead, Auckland City made a stunning response in the second half by finding the equaliser within seven minutes after the restart, with Christian Gray heading in from a corner launched by Jerson Lagos and they held on to claim a historical result.
Although both were eliminated from the Club World Cup, it was the least of the concerns for OFC’s best side as they became the first team from the region to collect a point in the competition and secured their first positive result in the tournament since 2014. It was remarkable that Auckland City became the first team to avoid defeat against an Argentine side within 90 minutes in the Club World Cup despite conceding a mammoth 41 shots during the match, more than any other team in a single game during the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
Manchester City 3-4 Al Hilal (AET) - Saudi Supremacy (Round of 16, Match 6)
Desperate to overturn their disappointing season, Manchester City went all guns blazing in the 2025 Club World Cup with their new signings and were looking to set their earlier standards after cruising through the group stage. They won all their games and scored 10 goals in a stunning display, scoring five or more goals in their wins against Al Ain and Juventus. City were favourites to win the competition even before it started and avoided facing record winners Real Madrid in the Round of 16 by winning their group, almost giving them the licence to move into the quarterfinals. However, their opposition, Al Hilal, had other ideas as they produced another seismic result in the 2025 edition of the Club World Cup. The first half was all Pep Guardiola’s side as they breached the Saudi giants’ defence in only the ninth minute of the match, but Yassine Bounou’s excellence restricted them from adding more to their tally before half-time.
The Moroccan keeper’s never-ending heroism allowed Al Hilal to crawl back into the game as Marcus Leanardo equalised only seconds after the restart, before Malcom put the side in front with a clear run at goal five minutes later. City levelled things through their goal poacher Erling Haaland to force extra-time, where again the Asian heavyweights struck through Kalidou Koulibaly. Unbelievably, Leonardo popped again to score the rebound from Sergej Milenkovic-Savic's header in the 112th minute to stun the Premier League giants, who thought they had taken control of the game after substitute Phil Foden equalised for the second time in the evening. City was left heartbroken by the elimination, as they did not anticipate this outcome. For the Blue Waves, it was another gigantic performance to prevent a European heavyweight and become the first Asian side to do so in the Club World Cup history.
