2 Best Bets to Win the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup

The revamped FIFA Club World Cup kicks off this coming weekend, and it fills an otherwise vacant gap on the soccer calendar.

This tourney is set up similar to a normal World Cup -- with 32 teams split up into eight four-team groups for the opening round. After group play, we'll get into the knockout rounds, eventually leading to a two-team final.

With club teams from across the globe taking part, including some elite sides from Europe's top leagues, the event is sure to draw attention, and FanDuel Sportsbook is offering Club World Cup betting odds. With that said, this may wind up being a volatile tournament as it's far from a lock that teams will roll out their best starting lineups, especially early in the event.

Using those odds, which teams should you back to win the tournament? Let's dig in.

2025 FIFA Club World Cup Betting Picks

Manchester City (+500)

Going by the odds, this is a pretty open tourney, with Real Madrid (+410) and PSG (+470) the favorites. With motivation likely varying greatly from club to club, I like targeting Manchester City to win. There are two reasons I think City might take this event more seriously than the other elite sides do.

For one, they're coming off a very disappointing season, going without a trophy, which is almost unheard of for a Pep Guardiola side. It's not like they had just a rough league campaign -- they weren't super competitive in the Champions League, either. They had a chance to win the FA Cup in their final match of the season but got upset by Crystal Palace. In short, the 2024-25 season is one City are likely excited to put in the rearview mirror, and this event is their first chance to turn the page. Nothing will help them kick on for 2025-26 like lifting a trophy.

Secondly, City have really revamped their roster in the last six months, so they might choose to treat this tournament as an extended preseason -- giving them a chance to iron out the wrinkles ahead of the next season. Omar Marmoush, Nico González, Vitor Reis and Abdukodir Khusanov joined last January while they've reportedly already agreed to land Tijjani Reijnders this summer and are also close to adding Rayan Cherki and Rayan Ait-Nouri.

That's a lot of talent coming into the building. That in and of itself will help City's chances in this tournament, but I also think it increases the likelihood that both City use a lot of their better players and that those players are motivated to do well as they fight for places.

In a group with Wydad AC, Al Ain and Juventus, City should cruise to the knockouts, and a motivated City side should be a handful from there.

Atletico Madrid (+1500)

As long as Diego Simeone is in charge, Atletico Madrid will be an appealing bet in tournaments.

Atleti fell off down the stretch last year and ended up finishing third in La Liga, 12 points behind champions Barcelona. But they're still a top-flight defense, allowing only 30 goals in 38 La Liga outings. That defense makes them a tough out in tournaments as they have the ability to muck up matches and make things ugly, particularly if they're playing with a lead.

We've seen this play out several times in the Champions League. No team enjoys a knockout-round clash with Atleti. They've gone to two UCL finals over the last 12 seasons. They went out on penalties versus rivals Real Madrid in the Round of 16 this past spring but only on a controversial call. They got to the UCL quarterfinals in 2023-24 and 2021-22.

The big negative with Atleti in this tourney is that they are in the same group as PSG, the reigning UCL champions, which could mean they're destined for a runner-up finish in the group. (Seattle Sounders and Botafogo are the other teams in the group.) A runner-up showing in the group would pit Atleti against the Group A winner, but fortunately for Simeone's side, Group A is one of the lesser groups as it consists of Porto, Inter Miami, Palmeiras and Al Ahly.

Once we get to the knockout rounds, Atleti will be a tough and unpleasant matchup for anyone. I like their chances of making a deep run.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.