Indy 11 hosts Pittsburgh Riverhounds and former Carmel High, CDC GK Eric Dick this Sat 7 pm
Indy 11 Summer of Soccer is a cool promo going on with tickets and a chance to win a free trip to the Indy 11 Charleston game. Indy 11 will host the Pittsburgh Riverhounds with former Carmel High, and CDC player Eric Dick in Goal. The 2024 USL GK of the year has Pittsburgh in 6th place overall 3 notches above Indy 11. Zeke invites you to enjoy a tail-wagging good time as we welcome our furry fans to the stadium. Enjoy the match with your pup by your side, the perfect outing for dog lovers and Indy Eleven fans! Pups at the Pitch Tickets are just $29 for you and your dog – Tickets

Club World Cup Miami vs Al Ahly Starts 8 pm on Univision

Messi and the Inter Miami crew will host the first game of the Club World Cup Sat night at 8 pm on Univision. The good news is many of the good games will be on TNT or TBS, Univision or TUDN. The rest will be streaming on some service called DANZ and its Free to sign up ” “. https://www.dazn.com/en-US/competition/ (full schedule below)

US Embarased by Sweden 0-4 limps into Gold Cup Sun 6 pm on Fox

Not quite sure what to say about what happened Tues night vs Sweden – lets just say the honeymoon with our underachieving Foreign manager Pochitino is reaching history as in most losses in a row EVER by a coach much less a new coach in US history. I said this when he as hired – NO Foreign coach has ever won a World Cup – in fact one 2 have even made the final since 1930. Add in that Poch has spent most of his first 9 months in Europe not visiting US players overseas or getting to know their club managers combined with the complete disconnect he seems to have with the players – and this is playing out about the way I figured. Honestly we might be better off if he loses in the group stage – resigns and we hire the guy who should be our coach BJ Callahan. Callahan manages us to a Quarterfinal at least – with Poch we might not make it out of the group stage. No idea what to expect on Sunday -which players he puts where – no idea. The huge waste is that US Soccer blew this like normal – I thought all along bring in the starters for the first two competitive Euro friendlies – Pulisic said he offered that – Robinson might have put off his surgery and Dest would have given it a go. Bring CCV and perhaps McKennie & Weah, Gio if negotiated could have been released for 10 days (just like the Euro Nations League players were) and we take advantage of the two Euro games vs top 40 teams. Then let them go and leave the 2nd team players to battle out the Gold Cup where best we will face is #30 Canada & perhaps #16 Mexico.

This whole thing has been a Cluster – not sure if its just Poch or all of US Soccer on the Men’s side but this is ridiculous just like giving up 4 goals in 45 minutes vs the Swiss. My hopes – go T&T and Saudi Arabia -embarrass us again – maybe this Poch experiment will end and we can get back to being American Soccer Again – meanwhile American Coach Jesse Marsch and Canada can put us in our place again & battle Mexico for CONCACAF supremacy just 1 year away from a home World Cup. CONCACAF which we owned under Berhalter.

USMNT GOLD CUP DETAILED ROSTER BY POSITION (club/country; caps/goals):

GOALKEEPERS (4): Chris Brady (Chicago Fire; 0/0), Matt Freese (New York City FC; 0/0), Matt Turner (Crystal Palace/ENG; 51/0)
DEFENDERS (9): Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew; 3/0), Alex Freeman (Orlando City; 0/0), Nathan Harriel (Philadelphia Union; 0/0), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse/FRA; 19/0), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC; 68/1), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace/ENG; 24/1), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati; 32/3), John Tolkin (Holstein Kiel/GER; 4/0), Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC; 43/3)
MIDFIELDERS (9): Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United/ENG; 47/8); Tyler Adams (Bournemouth/ENG; 44/2), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps/CAN; 0/0), Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis/ESP; 18/0), Luca de la Torre (San Diego FC; 24/1), Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake; 4/0), Jack McGlynn (Houston Dynamo; 4/1), Quinn Sullivan (Philadelphia Union; 0/0); Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 17/0)
FORWARDS (5): Paxten Aaronson (FC Utrecht/NED; 1/0), Patrick Agyemang (Charlotte FC; 4/3), Damion Downs (FC Köln/GER; 0/0), Brian White (Vancouver Whitecaps/CAN; 4/1), Haji Wright (Coventry City/ENG; 15/4)

Greyhound Girls Soccer Camp – Murray Stadium
Girls Jul 07 – Jul 09, 2025 at 9:00-10:30 $95 (5th-8th Grade) Register

Carmel High School Soccer Camp- Boys – Murray Stadium 6:30-8:30 pm
June 23-25 (grades 5-8^th)  $125
July 21-23  $125
Questions? Please contact Coach Shane Schmidt at sschmidt@ccs.k12.in.us

Incredible Games to Watch Around the World  this Weekend

Club World Cup

Al Ahly vs. Inter Miami (Saturday, 8 p.m. ET, DAZN) :Univision

On paper, this isn’t the grand opening we’re used to for an international football tournament, but the complexion of this fixture will tell us a lot about whether v2.0 of the Club World Cup is a glow up, or a facelift gone wrong. It’s a FIFA showcase that could be the legacy maker or breaker for its main man, Gianni Infantino, which amidst poor ticket sales, is a concern for him. Egypt’s Al Ahly have a modest roster of players, but like most of the lesser-known clubs in this 32-team tournament, are used to winning in their own country and continent, which is something that can’t necessarily be said for their opponents and tournament hosts, David Beckham’s Inter Miami. To be fair, they’ve only been a football club for a minute, but the Barcelona remake featuring Messi, Suarez, Busquets and Alba, has been more Netflix burial than box office beast so far. When the European titans start facing each other in this tournament, we’ll know more about its intrigue in the USA, but if Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium is half empty for this opener, FIFA will worry.

Bayern Munich vs. Auckland City (Sunday, 12 p.m. ET, DAZN)

New Zealand’s Auckland City are a semi-professional side whose wages are capped at $90 per week, while Bayern Munich’s top-earner, Harry Kane, makes $559,000 in that same period. They’ve been drawn in the Club World Cup’s tastiest group, which along with Bayern, is made up of Portugal’s most successful team, Benfica, and Argentinian powerhouse, Boca Juniors. In order to compete in the tournament, players will be forced to take unpaid leave from their regular jobs, but the 13-time Oceania Champions League winners will make $3.58 million just for showing up, which in UEFA terms is dimes, but for Auckland City, will positively shift the landscape of their whole club’s future. Bayern are German champions with an illustrious cast of players that makes The Phoenician Scheme’s roll call look modest, so only a convincing win will satisfy Vincent Kompany given the chasm of quality between the two clubs. Even a draw for Auckland City would be more romantic than a cocktail of Cool Runnings, Dodgeball and Rocky combined.

Paris St-Germain vs. Atletico Madrid (Sunday, 6 p.m. ET, DAZN)

Now we’re talking! Football’s next revolution, Champions League winners PSG, have a very different, and probably tougher challenge than Inter Milan in Diego Simeone’s rabid war dogs, Atlético Madrid. Simeone’s squad are unified by a siege mentality that’s bred a lot of success in the past 14 years, and despite this being a tournament packed with relative underdogs, he will tell his team that they’re in that bracket. PSG’s Ousmane Dembélé will see this tournament as a part of his Ballon d’Or campaign as he bids to convince swing states that he’s the best player in the world, but selfless collectivism has been the totemic ingredient for Enrique’s team thus far, who will be starving for more silverware following their historic treble. Pasadena’s Rose Bowl hosts this nourishing exhibition, which looks like a Champions League knockout tie, and although PSG are favorites, it’s an alluring style-clash between two managers with conflicting footballing philosophies.

NWSL

KC Current vs. Racing Louisville (Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, ion)

Too early to declare a shield winner? The KC Current are putting up NY Liberty numbers, five points clear at the top after their Lo LaBonta-less side shut Gotham down 2-1 courtesy of early goals from Michelle Cooper and Temwa Chawinga. This weekend they face an upstart Louisville side sitting sixth after narrowly missing the playoffs last season. A win in the Current’s first of two clashes with Louisville this month could take them to 30 points after just 12 games. On the West Coast, the Pride goes before what they hope will be a fall for rivals Washington Spirit: Orlando takes on Bay FC tonight (10 p.m. ET, Prime Video) before the Spirit face the Thorns 700 miles north at Providence Park (Sunday, 4 p.m. ET, CBS).

TV GAME SCHEDULE

GC=Gold Cup, WCC = World Club Cup in US

Fri, June 13
10:30 pm FS1 Portland Timbers vs San Jose MLS

June 13 – 29               GOLD CUP MEN
June 13

10:30 pm Fox Sports1 Portland Timbers vs San Jose Earthquakes

June 14
4:30 pm Fox St. Louis City vs LA Galaxy
7 pm TV 8 & CBS Golaso Indy 11 vs Pittsburg Riverhounds (Carmel GK Eric Dick returns)
7:30 pm Apple Free Columbus vs Vancouver
8 pm Univision Al Ahly vs Inter Miami Club World Cup
9:30 pm Apple Free Colorado vs Orlando MLS
10:!5 pm FS1 Mexico vs Dominican Republic GC

Sun, June 15

12 noon DANZ Bayern Munich vs Auckland City WCC
3 pm Univision PSG Vs Atletico Madrid WCC
6 pm Fox, Uni   US Men vs Trinidad   Gold Cup
8:15 pm FS1 Haiti vs Saudi Arabia GC
10 pm Danz Botafogo vs Seattle Sounders WCC
10 pm Ion Angel City s NC Courage NWSL
11 pm FS1 Costa Rica vs Suriname GC
Mon, June 16
3 pm unimas, TUDN Chelsea vs LAFC
6 pm Danz Boca Juniors vs Benefica WCC
7 pm FS1 Panama vs Guadeloupe GC
9 pm FS1 Jamaica vs Guatemala
10 pm CBS Portland Thorns vs Washington Spirit NWSL

Tues , June 17
12 noon TNT Fluminese vs Dortmund WCC
3 pm Danz River Plate vs Urawa Reds WCC
8:15 pm FS1 Curacao vs El Salvador GC
9 pm Danz Inter Milan vs Monterrey WCC
10:30 pm FS1 Canada vs Honduras GC

Wed, June 18

12 noon DANZ Man City vs Wydad Casablanca WCC
3 pm unimas Real Madrid vs Al Hilal WCC
6 pm Danz Pachuca cs Salzburg WCC
7 pm FS1 Costa Rica vs Dom Republic GC
9 pm dazn Al Ain vs Juventus (Mckinney, Weah) WCC
10 pm FS1 Mexico vs Suriname

Thur, June 19

12 noon Dazn Palmeiras vs Al Ahly WCC
3 pm Dazn Inter Miami vs Porto WCC
6 pm Dazn Seattle Sounders vs Atletico Madrid WCC
6:45 pm FS1 T&T vs Haiti GC
9 pm Dazn PSG Vs Botafogo WCC
9:15 pm FS1   US Men vs Saudi Arabia  Gold Cup

Fri, June 20
2 pm TNT Flamengo vs Chelsea WCC
6 pm DANZ LAFC vs ES Tunis WCC
7:45 pm FS1 Jamaica vs Guadeloupe GC
9 pm TBS Bayern Munich vs Boca Juniors WCC
10 pm FS1 Guatemala vs Panama GC

Sat, June 21

7 pm TV8, Golazo Indy 11 vs Las Vegas Lights FC
7 pm FS1 Curacao vs Canada GC
9 pm TBS River Plate vs Monterrey WC
10 pm FS1 Honduras vs El Salvador GC

Sun, June 22

12 noon Danz Juventus vs Wydad Casablanca WCC
3 pm univision Real Madrid vs Pachuca WCC
7 pm Fox                 US Men vs Haiti Gold Cup
7 pm FS1 Saudi Arabia vs T&T GC
9 pm TNT Man City vs Al Ain WCC
10 pm FS1 Mexico vs Costa Rica GC

Mon, June 23
9 pm TBS Inter Miami (Messi) vs Palmeiras

Thur, June 26

TBS, Peacock             US Women vs Ireland

Sun, June 29^th

TNT, Peacock             US Women vs Ireland in Cincy

USA

Morning update: Pulisic responds, Bradley gets a job, Atlanta’s debacle, and more
Pulisic: Former USMNT critics ‘way out of line’
Pulisic likes dad’s response to Donovan criticism
Adams: U.S. tunes out Donovan, Dempsey ‘noise’
Analysis: USMNT woes continue as team is played out of Nashville in 4-0 loss
Gold Cup retrospective: A look back at past USMNT performances
Mexico prez calls for no ICE action at Gold Cup
2025 Concacaf Gold Cup: Group D Preview
2025 Concacaf Gold Cup: Group C Preview
2025 Concacaf Gold Cup: Group B Preview
2025 Concacaf Gold Cup: Group A Preview
2025 Concacaf Gold Cup: Group A Preview

Where Are We Now as We Charge Towards Playing Trinidad and Tobago, Two Teams at Once. Never a Smart Idea. (Sunday, 6 p.m. ET, FOX)

To understand how to stop this pain demands working out where the challenges begin, which is almost like pulling on a thread and unravelling the entire garment. What we are witnessing is the result of a thousand micro-decisions stretching back over a decade that are piling up in a seismic chain-reaction. U.S. Soccer Men’s history is filled with reaction and counter-reaction, going all the way back to the end of the Bob Bradley period, where the decision was made to go global in our coaching with Jurgen Klinsmann. Whatever you think of Jurgen’s tenure, his doomed second cycle led U.S. Soccer to decide to snap back to an American coach, waiting for Gregg Berhalter. Similarly, whatever you thought of GGG, the ill-thought-out (and even worse explained) decision to re-appoint him, led to another jackknife counter-reaction to snap back and go global again, recruiting Pochettino. When he was appointed I talked about how his philosophy of grinta or fight is exactly what this team needs, but warned that his ideas are no slam dunk, and could actually be rejected like a donor organ shunned by its new host body.

This Is Where We Are Now, Faced By a Slew of Unfathomable Questions:

i. How fractured is Pochettino and Pulisic’s relationship? Christian’s comments yesterday inadvertently made him sound like a player who picks and chooses when he plays for the national team, which is an optic that Poch cannot allow without having his authority undermined.

My friend Herculez Gomez tweeted yesterday, “I’ve witnessed disputes between coaches and players before. It never ends well. Christian Pulisic has drawn his line in the sand, just like Pochettino and U.S. Soccer. This situation is making an already unlikable team even more unlikable.”

Make no mistake: U.S. Soccer finds itself in a standoff in which no one wins. Look at what happened in Poland this week when Robert Lewandowski refused to play under their national team manager.

ii. When will US Soccer step in and speak? They have been silent but what exactly will they choose to say? Who would they back between Mauricio Pochettino, their marquee manager on a massive contract, and star player Christian Pulisic, who is the face of the team in both football and commercial terms?

iii. What is the current mentality of the players Pochettino did not call up? A side issue—but still important. The Josh Sargents, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Auston Trustys? They were dumped, then the team continued its free fall. Do we need Josh Sargent now? Could Cameron Carter-Vickers do a job? How do they feel ego-wise after seeming surplus to requirements?

iv. Should Pulisic have a thicker skin? He has played in the crucible of some of the biggest leagues in the world, so what does he care about what a couple of ex-players say in a domestic media culture which is overwhelmingly underdeveloped and silent in comparison to the unforgiving buzzsaw of Europe or South American football? Having his dad be perceived to talk for him, before he spoke himself, is, I would imagine, a moment he would like back.

v. Is this inevitably a wasted summer? Not having competitive World Cup qualifiers was ultimately terrible for this U.S. team. As Midge Purce delighted in pointing out, no one out of our soccer bubble even knows this madness is taking place. We are missing an opportunity to make Americans care. The World Cup is going to be a massive success for football. Will the USMNT write themselves into that story at all?

vi. Is anyone loving all of this more than Jesse Marsch? This subtweet of U.S. Soccer’s hot mess must feel like revenge at “V for Vendetta” levels.

World Club Cup

2025 FIFA Club World Cup: Group G Preview
American fans are hoping Weah and McKennie can create some magic in this tournament.
2025 FIFA Club World Cup: Group F Preview
Gio Reyna hopes to rediscover his form during the group stage.

2025 FIFA Club World Cup: Group B Preview
Seattle Sounders take on a monster of a group at the Club World Cup.
2025 FIFA Club World Cup: Group A Preview
Messi and friends take on a tough group.

‘Merit based’ or Messi based? How Inter Miami became Club World Cup’s controversial opening act
How Sounders’ ticket gamble is filling seats ahead of Club World Cup

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• 18 -26 Tickets – $2,700 – $3,900 
• Food / Beverage option available for purchase through catering team

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Thank you for your time & GO USA. Jackie Rodriguez
Account Executive – Ticket Sales jrodriguez@ussoccer.org

Olivier Giroud: Trust Christian Pulisic’s decision over Gold Cup absence

By Martin Rogers June 13, 2025 2:20 pm EDT

Christian Pulisic has been backed by former teammate Olivier Giroud as the ruckus over the U.S. men’s national team star’s summer absence continues to rumble on. Pulisic has defended his decision to miss the Concacaf Gold Cup, the regional championship in which head coach Mauricio Pochettino’s depleted squad will begin its campaign against Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday. Pulisic cited the need to rest following an intense period with AC Milan in Serie A, which has seen him appear in more than 100 games over the past two seasons.His choice sparked heavy criticism, most notably from former national team forward Landon Donovan, prompting Pulisic to speak out on a CBS podcast this week explaining his choice.Giroud, the LAFC striker and 2018 World Cup winner with France, became close friends with Pulisic during their shared time at Chelsea and Milan. He insisted that national team fans should trust their 26-year-old talisman a year out from a home World Cup.“I just respect his decision, because he is someone very responsible and very mature,” Giroud told The Athletic. “He is not a guy who is going to cheat, he’s got a great mentality and that’s why I loved him – a great person and a great football player. I would never go against his decision and I know he had a tough busy year at Milan and I am well placed to know how much the effort can be. The pressure, the expectation. If he feels like he needs some rest and there is a World Cup coming…”

Giroud referenced the grueling soccer calendar and admits he has concerns for leading players, especially those taking part in both this summer’s Club World Cup – LAFC opens its campaign against Chelsea in Atlanta on Monday – and next summer’s World Cup on either side of a full domestic schedule.“The players, I have the feeling they will play for two years nonstop, maybe grab five weeks total, in two years, of holidays. I am worried about the health of the players,” Giroud said.That was a core part of the case Pulisic made to Pochettino. The player did offer to play in last week’s USMNT friendlies – 2-1 defeat to Turkey and a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Switzerland – but was told Pochettino wanted to have one cohesive roster for the summer.“Towards the second half and the end of the season, my body just started talking to me, and my mind,” Pulisic told CBS’ Jimmy Conrad, Charlie Davies and Tony Meola, all former U.S. national team players. “I started to think, you know, what’s going to be best for me leading into next year and going into the World Cup? Is that to play eight more games, get no rest at all, go straight into preseason and then grind another year, and go straight into the World Cup? That’s not what I felt was best for my body.”Giroud insisted he expects Pulisic to prove his doubters wrong when it matters, a year from now.“For sure (the U.S. is lucky to have him), he is a leader on the pitch,” Giroud said, “They have got great players, but Christian is the man, he is the main face.” (Top photo: Marco Luzzani / Getty Images)

Marsch lauds Canada’s Gold Cup commitment as USMNT wrestles with same topic

By Joshua Kloke June 13, 2025Updated 6:22 pm EDT

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – As the most important summer in Jesse Marsch’s tenure in Canada to date gets underway in full, the men’s national team head coach has made it clear: critical to success is the involvement of nearly his entire full-strength team at the Concacaf Gold Cup.“Everybody knows how important this summer is and what it means for (the 2026 World Cup). I’ve explained my feelings about this tournament to the team over the last months, but I didn’t really have to. They all said, ‘We’re coming, we want to win it.’ That’s a big statement, but that’s how they feel. I’m glad I coach a team that feels that way,” Marsch said after Canada’s first Gold Cup training session.Marsch is also not shy from lighting a fuse with his comments, and ahead of Canada’s two June friendlies against Ukraine and Ivory Coast, he said, “not one guy has said to me, ‘I don’t want to come to the pre-Gold Cup.’”The timing of Marsch’s comments gave them a clear undertone, as they came following Christian Pulisic’s opting not to participate in the Gold Cup for the U.S.While Marsch doubled down on his comments on Friday – “It’s a unique, selfless group. I haven’t been around many teams that have this kind of love and commitment to each other,” he said – he also insisted his comments were not a shot at the U.S. and its star.“First, there’s some dialogue like I’m addressing the U.S. team. That’s not true at all. I want to make it clear: I don’t care about the U.S. team. And I never want to coach the U.S. national team. I’m making that clear right now,” Marsch said. “I was just talking about our team.“The team believes in what’s being created, because they’re being rewarded for it and they’re totally engaged by the whole experience.”Marsch was also speaking after Pulisic publicly addressed missing the Gold Cup for the first time.“Towards the second half and the end of the season, my body just started talking to me, and my mind,” Pulisic said Thursday on CBS’s Call It What You Want podcast. “I started to think, you know, what’s going to be best for me leading into next year and going into the World Cup. Is that to play eight more games, get no rest at all, go straight into preseason and then grind another year, and go straight into the World Cup? That’s not what I felt was best for my body.”Pulisic said he wanted to be part of the U.S. friendlies against Turkey and Switzerland but not the Gold Cup, only to be rebuffed, as manager Mauricio Pochettino wanted one squad for the whole summer.“The only point I would make with that is that I did want to be part of at least the two friendlies,” Pulisic said. “I did speak with the coaches, and I asked and I wanted to be part of the team in whatever capacity I could. They said no; they said they only wanted one roster, and that’s a coach’s decision. I fully respect that. I didn’t understand it, but it is what it is. I wanted to be a part of that, but that’s just the way things went. I had to make the best decision for myself, and also, in the long run, my team — although, clearly, some people haven’t seen it that way.”Even if Marsch is to be believed and was not taking a shot, the current trajectories of the Canada and U.S. national teams with less than a year to go before the World Cup present a stark contrast.The U.S. has lost its last four matches under Pochettino, including a loss to Canada in the Concacaf Nations League third-place game. Without a full-strength team, it suffered back-to-back friendly losses against European opposition. The Americans looked listless while defending and without clear ingenuity in attack. Their recent play has raised serious questions about how prepared they will be when their World Cup begins on home soil in June 2026.

Canada, meanwhile, played one of its best games under Marsch in a 4-2 dismantling of Ukraine in a June friendly. Despite a loss to Mexico in the Nations League semifinals, Canada has still vaulted up to its highest FIFA ranking ever (30th) under Marsch’s aggressive style of play.

The vibes are good in Canada’s national team camp. (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images)

Again, while Marsch insists there’s no comparison between the two teams, it’s hard not to read between the lines here: Canada is earning the results as of late in part because of the commitment Marsch sees in every camp.

Pulisic’s absence is far from the only key one the U.S. must confront, though there are various reasons for the others. Midfielder Yunus Musah, right back Sergiño Dest and forward Josh Sargent are among the omissions, while two American starters, Weston McKennie and Tim Weah, will participate in this summer’s Club World Cup with Juventus (Gio Reyna will as well, with Dortmund).Marsch’s team may be closer to full strength but will still be missing a couple of key pieces. There’s a center back starter, Nice’s Moïse Bombito, who is undergoing wrist surgery, while Alphonso Davies is still recovering from an ACL tear suffered in Canada’s Nations League third-place game – a source of consternation and conflict between Marsch and Bayern Munich.

Ismaël Koné missed Canada’s Friday’s training session to attend to a family matter, but is expected to return to participate in the Gold Cup. Meanwhile, Marsch cited Canada starter Alistair Johnston as evidence of his team’s commitment: after a lengthy season in Scotland and the 26-year-old’s wedding this summer, the Celtic defender is planning to arrive ahead of Canada’s first Gold Cup game against Honduras.

“He’s going to figure out a way to come basically straight from his honeymoon,” Marsch said.

There’s a little irony in that Marsch himself will be forced to miss the first two group games. His sending-off in the Nations League third-place game resulted in a two-game ban from Concacaf. He’ll return for the finale vs. El Salvador and whatever may follow.

“This, unfortunately, is not the first time I’ve been through this,” Marsch said. “I always actually enjoy these moments, because it’s an opportunity for the team to show leadership, to take ownership, to show that they understand in all ways how to take things over. Obviously, (Canada assistant coach Mauro Biello) and the staff and everybody will be able to manage things fine. But it’s a chance for the team to really now show that this is our team, we know how to handle this, and we’re going to execute.”

It’s still too early to determine what the mass participation and buy-in will mean for Canada’s results. But what’s clear right now is Marsch has attained a level of willingness that should only strengthen team unity and tactical understanding with the World Cup approaching. Marsch’s tactical demands are often contradictory to what his stars, such as Jonathan David and Tajon Buchanan, experience at the club level.

“If the vision is clear and they understand how they fit in and what it means in their lives and in their profession, these guys only want to think about how they can meet standards. That’s a pleasure,” Marsch said.But the more time they’re spending with Canada, the better the entire group should be to fight for Canada’s first men’s World Cup win.“You could go to (David) and talk about how unique his situation is and how unique his mentality is,” Marsch said, referencing the fact that David is awaiting a high-profile summer transfer. “Or you could go to guys like (defender Derek Cornelius), who has had a really long year. You could talk about (Buchanan) and technically he’s owned by (Inter Milan) and he could be in the Club World Cup but he made it clear he wants to be here.”

Go back into Canada’s recent men’s national team history, and that desire wasn’t always there. Stars have missed Gold Cups. But with the opportunity to win a first trophy since the 2000 Gold Cup, Canada’s national team is looking at this summer differently.

“They all love being with this team,” Marsch said. “They love the national team.”

Your complete guide to the 2025 Club World Cup – the groups, the teams and the storylines to watch

By The Athletic Staff June 10, 2025
The Club World Cup begins on Saturday, June 14, when Inter Miami take on Al Ahly at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.How will Lionel Messi and friends get on? Are they likely to get out of Group A?

And what about Real Madrid? The world’s biggest club have replaced Carlo Ancelotti with Xabi Alonso, their former midfielder, and signed Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dean Huijsen in the mini transfer window before the tournament. They’re also after Alvaro Carreras from Benfica and one of the hottest prospects in world football, River Plate’s 17-year-old forward Franco Mastantuono. Benfica and River are part of the fun in the United States, too.

Paris Saint-Germain cross the Atlantic as champions of Europe, having thrashed Inter in the Champions League final two weeks ago. Can they complete a brilliant double this summer? And will a wounded Inter hit the ground running under new coach Christian Chivu? Simone Inzaghi was in charge for the final on May 31 but has since jumped ship for Saudi side Al Hilal, who are also at the Club World Cup.

There are representatives from six continents across the globe among the 32 teams — Mamelodi Sundowns from South Africa, Ulsan from South Korea, Wydad from Morocco, and Auckland City from New Zealand.

Here are The Athletic’s eight group guides and 16 in-depth team guides for the tournament, telling you all you need to know before the competition gets underway. Who are the favourites to advance to the knockout stage and which storylines should you be watching?

Follow the Club World Cup on The Athletic this summer…

Club World Cup team guides, news and analysis
How will the tournament work?
Could it stretch Lionel Messi and other stars to breaking point?
Group A: Stylish Palmeiras should dominate, but will Inter Miami make it through?
Palmeiras of Brazil, Portugal’s Porto, Al Ahly from Egypt and Major League Soccer side Inter Miami make up Group A, and beyond the Brazilian side, there is a case for any of the other teams to qualify for the straight-knockout round of 16.

Miami’s defensive struggles might hinder them, despite the presence of Messi and Luis Suarez in attack. Porto are looking at the tournament as an opportunity for redemption after one of their worst seasons in recent years at domestic and European levels.

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Meanwhile, Al Ahly have consistently done well in the previous annual format of this tournament, finishing third on four occasions this decade.

The full guide to Group A is here.

Team guides

Inter Miami: Messi’s star power, slow start for Mascherano
Fixtures

(All kick-offs ET/BST)

June 14: Al Ahly vs Inter Miami (Miami, 8pm/1am June 15)

June 15: Palmeiras vs Porto (New York/New Jersey, 6pm/11pm)

June 19: Palmeiras vs Al Ahly (New York/New Jersey, 12pm/5pm)

June 19: Inter Miami vs Porto (Atlanta, 3pm/8pm)

June 23: Inter Miami vs Palmeiras (Miami, 9pm/2am June 24)

June 23: Porto vs Al Ahly (New York/New Jersey, 9pm/2am June 24)

Group B: Slick PSG and streetsmart Atletico Madrid light up ‘Pool of Death’
The reigning champion of South America and a recent holder of that honour for North America have been drawn together at the Club World Cup — and both are projected to be the four-team section’s underdogs. How’s that for a Group of Death?

Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid join Botafogo and the Seattle Sounders to form Group B, surely the deepest quartet of the eight in the tournament. Will there be a post-Champions League final hangover for PSG? Will Diego Simeone’s steely Atletico relax a bit on their Stateside summer vacation? Can either team from the Americas upset the European behemoths?

The full guide to Group B is here.

Team guides

Paris Saint-Germain: The breathtaking yet complicated champions of Europe
Seattle Sounders: The culmination of a decade-long project
Fixtures

(All kick-offs ET/BST)

June 15: Paris Saint-Germain vs. Atletico Madrid (Pasadena, 3pm/8pm)

June 15: Seattle Sounders vs. Botafogo (Seattle, 10pm/3am June 16)

June 19: Seattle Sounders vs. Atletico Madrid (Seattle, 6pm/11pm)

June 19: Paris Saint-Germain vs. Botafogo (Pasadena, 9pm/2am June 20)

June 26: Seattle Sounders vs. Paris Saint-Germain (Seattle, 3pm/8pm)

June 26: Atletico Madrid vs. Botafogo (Pasadena, 3pm/8pm)

Group C: Will Bayern reign supreme and can Auckland’s amateurs spring a shock?
Two of European football’s most storied teams. An icon of the South American game. The side who earned a shock third-place finish at the 2014 Club World Cup.

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Auckland City, Bayern Munich, Benfica and Boca Juniors form Group C, offering ample intriguing storylines. Is Bayern built to be this reformatted tournament’s first champion? Will Benfica benefit from one final dose of Angel Di Maria’s heroics? Can Boca overcome a recent dip to become a dark horse? Could the New Zealanders wreak similar havoc to 11 years ago?

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The full guide to Group C is here.

Team guides

Bayern Munich: A powerhouse progressing under Kompany
Boca Juniors: A global brand, Cavani and a coach returning for his third stint
Fixtures

(All kick-offs ET/BST)

June 15: Bayern Munich vs Auckland City (Cincinnati, 12pm/5pm)

June 16: Boca Juniors vs Benfica (Miami, 6pm/11pm)

June 20: Benfica vs Auckland City (Orlando, 12pm/5pm)

June 20: Bayern Munich vs Boca Juniors (Miami, 9pm/2am June 21)

June 26: Auckland City vs Boca Juniors (Nashville, 3pm/8pm)

June 26: Benfica vs Bayern Munich (Charlotte, 3pm/8pm)

(Getty Images; design: Kelsea Petersen)
Group D: Can Chelsea add another trophy to their growing list of honours?
Chelsea, Flamengo, Esperance de Tunis and LAFC make up this group, and the odds are very much against the latter two. LAFC’s qualification was only confirmed on June 1 when they defeated Club America in a play-off to determine the final contestant of this year’s Club World Cup.

Meanwhile, Esperance earned their place as the best-ranked eligible team in the CAF, African football’s governing body, four-year ranking, but despite winning Tunisia’s domestic league and cup, the gap in quality may prove to be too great.

So for Chelsea and Flamengo, it’s their group to lose and their encounter on June 20 could determine who tops it.

The full guide to Group D is here.

Team guides

Chelsea: Expensively assembled fringe contenders or a serious threat?
Los Angeles FC: Olivier Giroud, Hugo Lloris and a wrecking-crew winger
Fixtures

(All kick-offs ET/BST)

June 16: Chelsea vs LAFC (Atlanta, 3pm/8pm)

June 16: Flamengo vs Esperance (Philadelphia, 9pm/2am June 17)

June 20: Flamengo vs Chelsea (Philadelphia, 2pm/7pm)

June 20: LAFC vs Esperance (Nashville, 6pm/11pm)

June 24: LAFC vs Flamengo (Orlando, 9pm/2am June 25)

June 24: Esperance vs Chelsea (Philadelphia, 9pm/2am June 25)

Group E: Inter are the favourites but the battle for second should be fierce
Group E at the Club World Cup could conjure up a few entertaining matches, with a spot in the knockout stage up for grabs.

Italian side Inter are the favourites to top a pool that also includes Argentina’s River Plate, Monterrey from Mexico and Japanese side Urawa Red Diamonds.

Last month’s UEFA Champions League runners-up qualified for this tournament via their ranking by UEFA, European football’s governing body, between 2021 and 2024. River got in through their ranking by CONMEBOL, South America’s UEFA equivalent, over the same period. Monterrey and Urawa are here thanks to winning the 2021 Concacaf Champions League and 2022-23 Asian Champions League.

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River will be backed to finish second behind the men from Milan in this group, but Monterrey could pose a threat.

The full guide to Group E is here.

Team guides

Monterrey: Ramos, a former Guardiola assistant and a rising star
River Plate: An illustrious history and a future South American star
Inter: Exit of coach Inzaghi adds to Champions League pain
Fixtures

(All kick-offs ET/BST)

June 17: River Plate vs Urawa Red Diamonds (Seattle, 3pm/8pm)

June 17: Monterrey vs Inter (Los Angeles, 9pm/2am June 18)

June 21: Inter vs Urawa Red Diamonds (Seattle, 3pm/8pm)

June 21: River Plate vs Monterrey (Los Angeles, 9pm/2am June 22)

June 25: Inter vs River Plate (Seattle, 9pm/2am June 26)

June 25: Urawa Red Diamonds vs Monterrey (Los Angeles, 9pm/2am June 26)

Group F: Is this where the tournament’s surprise package will emerge?
Group F at the Club World Cup features a slight favourite in the form of Borussia Dortmund but could throw up its fair share of surprises.

Dortmund endured a disappointing Bundesliga campaign that picked up pace only in the final weeks. They are joined by Brazilian side Fluminense, South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns and South Korea’s Ulsan HD.

Fluminense’s history as one of Brazil’s most successful clubs — with 42 major trophies — makes them the consensus pick for a top-two finish with Dortmund. Their 2023 Copa Libertadores win sealed their berth at the Club World Cup.

But the Sundowns recently secured their eighth straight South African Premiership title and qualified for this tournament through their CAF ranking between 2021 and 2024. Ulsan, meanwhile, have won three consecutive league titles, though a fourth looks unlikely as they trail leaders Jeonbuk by six points in the K League 1 having played two games more.

The full guide to Group F is here.

Team guides

Mamelodi Sundowns: South African champions with a Brazilian star
Fixtures

(All kick-offs ET/BST)

June 17: Fluminense vs Borussia Dortmund (New Jersey, 12pm/5pm)

June 17: Ulsan HD vs Mamelodi Sundowns (Orlando, 6pm/11pm)

June 21: Mamelodi Sundowns vs Borussia Dortmund (Cincinnati, 12pm/5pm)

June 21: Fluminense vs Ulsan HD (New Jersey, 6pm/11pm)

June 25: Borussia Dortmund vs Ulsan HD (Cincinnati, 3pm/8pm)

June 25: Mamelodi Sundowns vs Fluminense (Florida, 3pm/8pm)

Group G: A chance for Manchester City and Juventus to end the season positively?
Any group that contains the world’s best manager, last year’s Asian Champions League winners and Italy’s most decorated club is likely to offer plenty of entertainment.

Manchester City, Morocco’s Wydad AC, Al Ain from the United Arab Emirates and Juventus join up to form Group G of this year’s Club World Cup, and there are certainly enough storylines for you to shake a stick at. Can City get revenge on the Old Lady for their Champions League defeat in December? Which young player is one of Italy’s take-on kings? Who has endured managerial chaos in recent months?

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The full guide to Group G is here.

Team guides

Manchester City: Wounded giants primed for a new era
Juventus: A returning hero, the son of a legend, and a splash of pink
Fixtures

(All kick-offs ET/BST)

June 18: Manchester City vs Wydad AC (Philadelphia, 12pm/5pm)

June 18: Al Ain vs Juventus (Washington, 9pm/2am June 19)

June 22: Juventus vs Wydad AC (Philadelphia, 12pm/5pm)

June 22: Manchester City vs Al Ain (Atlanta, 9pm/2am June 23)

June 26: Juventus vs Manchester City (Orlando, 3pm/8pm)

June 26: Wydad AC vs Al Ain (Washington, 3pm/8pm)

Group H: All eyes on Real Madrid’s superstars, but are Al Hilal the tournament’s dark horses?
When your group includes the competition’s record holders, you know it is worth keeping an eye on.

Real Madrid, Pachuca, Al Hilal, and Red Bull Salzburg form Group H and there are some tasty clashes to choose from. Madrid will be keen to add to their swollen trophy cabinet this summer with a new era upon them after Xabi Alonso was confirmed as their new head coach. Meanwhile, don’t underestimate the strength of Al Hilal, who boast several star names that could see the Saudi club make a major dent in this tournament if they play to their full potential.

The full guide to Group H is here.

Team guides

Al Hilal: New coach Inzaghi, stars such as Cancelo, and 19 league titles
Real Madrid: Europe’s superstars who will expect to dominate with Kylian Mbappe
Pachuca: The 2024 Concacaf champions bring Rondon’s power and a new-manager bounce
Fixtures

(All times ET/UK)

June 18: Real Madrid vs Al Hilal (Miami, 3pm/8pm)

June 18: Pachuca vs Red Bull Salzburg (Cincinnati, 6pm/11pm)

June 22: Real Madrid vs Pachuca (Charlotte, 3pm/8pm)

June 22: Red Bull Salzburg vs Al Hilal (Washington, 6pm/11pm)

June 26: Al Hilal vs Pachuca (Nashville, 9pm/2am June 27)

June 26: Red Bull Salzburg vs Real Madrid (Philadelphia, 9pm/2am June 27)

(Top photo: Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

The problem with the Club World Cup – these teams are not the best of the best

By Nick Miller June 13, 2025 12:10 am EDT

For Gianni Infantino, it’s Christmas Eve.

Back in 2016, not long after he was elected Sepp Blatter’s replacement as FIFA president, Infantino suggested the Club World Cup, hitherto a brief winter interlude consisting of a handful of matches played over less than two weeks, should be expanded on the basis that the old format was “not exactly inspiring”, and that his new setup would bring together “the best 32 clubs in the world”.Now, almost a decade on, Infantino’s big idea — the thing he hopes will be his lasting legacy in the game — is finally here.The big jamboree kicks off in the United States on Saturday, but the problem is, when you take a closer look at the teams involved, you wonder whether Infantino’s promise that these are the best of the best will be fulfilled.Of the 32 participating sides, which represent 20 countries, only eight are their reigning domestic champions. The most recent title winners from England, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Argentina, Japan, Major League Soccer (the U.S. and Canada) and a few others are absent. That’s quite a lot of big/good teams missing.Of the six main continental club competitions from around the globe, only half of the reigning champions will be present. Paris Saint-Germain from Europe, Botafogo (South America) and semi-pro side Auckland City from Oceania are all there, but the most recent winners from Africa (Pyramids), Asia (Al Ahli) and North/Central America (Cruz Azul) will not.

New Asian champions Al Ahli won’t be at the Club World Cup (Clicks Images/Getty Images)

There is a logic to waving through the European, South American and Asian champions from the qualifying period (the continental winners each year from 2021 to 2024), but the problem is things move very fast in football. Rewarding a team in 2025 for what they did three or four years before isn’t necessarily going to produce great results.Take Urawa Red Diamonds. It’s harsh to say that anyone who wins a continental championship is lucky, but it was a big surprise when they won the 2022 Asian Champions League: they were drawn against teams from Malaysia and Thailand in the first two knockout rounds, then scrapped their way through the semi-final and final on penalties and 2-1 on aggregate respectively. They haven’t done much since. They last won Japan’s J-League in 2006 and their highest league finish since 2016 has been fourth. In the league’s most recent completed season, they finished 13th.The same is true, to a lesser extent, with Chelsea. They’re here on the basis of winning the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League, but their league positions since then have been third, 12th, sixth and fourth. Which means they haven’t even played in the Champions League in the past two seasons. They are unrecognisable from the Chelsea that won Europe’s big one four years ago: the coach is different, the ownership is different and almost all the players are different from their starting line-up in that final (nine of the 11 have left the club permanently; a 10th, Ben Chilwell, was loaned out for the second half of this season after not making a league matchday squad for them in its first half).Other clubs are present thanks to a ranking system that takes in league and continental results over the past five seasons, but even that is flawed and gives undue prominence to achievements from three or four years ago.In 2021, Juventus had just won their ninth Serie A title in a row, but they’ve been in relative decline since and have only just managed three top-four finishes in the interim. Red Bull Salzburg have gone from perennial champions to relative also-rans in Austria. The last time the Seattle Sounders won the MLS title was 2019.Borussia Dortmund are the only team present who haven’t won a domestic or continental title in the qualifying period.Actually, that’s not quite true: the other team not to have done so are Inter Miami, who will play in the tournament’s opening match in their home city. We probably don’t need to outline what a farce, from a competitive/meritocratic point of view, their participation is. Congratulations to them for qualifying via the ‘Best Team To Employ Lionel Messi’ clause.ven looking past the qualifying criteria, it’s also worth noting that a lot of these clubs are going to be in various forms of turmoil.Of the 32 clubs, 14 have changed head coaches in 2025, and six — Real Madrid, Inter, Al Hilal, Al Ahly, Pachuca and Monterrey — will have coaches whose first competitive game in charge will be the club’s opening match of this tournament. That’s not including Auckland City, whose manager Paul Posa will miss the start of their U.S. trip for personal reasons.In short, if you’re taking Infantino at his word and this tournament is going to be a brilliant spectacle of the best clubs that the game has to offer — the peak of the game in 2025 — then you might be quite disappointed. Perhaps this is all a little unfair on FIFA.

If you’re going to have a tournament like this, then you probably do have to spread the qualifying criteria over a decent period of time. Perhaps you could contract it to two years, in order to have a better chance of getting teams who are actually good/playing well at the time of the tournament, but any shorter than that would be impractical. You couldn’t really, for example, wait to see who won continental or domestic titles in 2025, because it would only give those teams a few weeks’ notice of participation. Teams like Salzburg are there because each country is limited to two participants (except when they have won continental titles, hence four Brazilian teams being present), which is probably a good thing from a variety point of view but it means the organisers had to go quite a way down the list once all the third teams from various nations had been discounted.

What will a busy summer mean for the likes of Cole Palmer in 2025-26? (Charlotte Wilson/Getty Images)

But the key phrase in that last paragraph is ‘if you’re going to have a tournament like this’.

The more pertinent question is whether the whole concept is fundamentally flawed, whether you were ever going to get the best 32 teams in the world together and whether it should be taking place at all.

It is a fairly Euro-centric view that the expanded format of this Club World Cup, to be played every four years, like the national-team version, is just a bit of a nuisance, that it’s a burden on an already overburdened global schedule.The implications for the finances and profile of, say, some African clubs involved are significant and could be transformative for them. But the negatives outweigh the positives. For a start, on that financial argument, there is a real danger that the money earned by clubs like Mamelodi Sundowns and Al Ahly, already the richest clubs in South Africa and Egypt respectively, will simply serve to further solidify their dominance.

From a broader, player-specific perspective, this is just more football that they don’t need. These are 32 sets of players who are arriving at this tournament either at the end of a long, hard season, or interrupting one to be there. They’re all tired. Plenty of them might be wondering why they have to play even more football when they should be resting.Players from Inter and Paris Saint-Germain, as well as Mamelodi Sundowns, will have benefited from a whopping two weeks of pause between their own Champions League finals and this event. The emotional exhaustion, as much as the physical, will be overpowering.You might say that players are already used to this sort of thing, with international tournaments for their countries. Which is true. But they at least have the historical significance of the World Cup, Copa America, Asian Cup or European Championship to provide a little more inspiration.Also, don’t overestimate the psychological difference between jumping on a plane with the same 25 guys you’ve spent the best part of a year living with, and going off to join an international setup where things are perhaps fresher, the faces less familiar, the atmospheres different. If a change is as good as a rest, it also works as a mental pep-up.Perhaps most importantly, national teams operate on cycles based around international tournaments, frequently the World Cup. They are designed to peak every four years. Clubs are not. At this time of year, clubs from Europe, Africa and parts of Asia have come to the end of their cycles — or seasons, as they are better known. June is the time when, if not quite by design but by necessity, clubs are in a state of flux, transition, chaos, call it what you will: they are not supposed to be in fighting shape at this time of year.Expanding and moving the Club World Cup was unnecessary from a sporting point of view, existing mostly to fulfil Infantino’s personal infatuation with ‘growing the game’, and to make money. But it’s here now. Just don’t expect it to be the top-class spectacle that he says it will be.(Top photo: Eva Marie Uzcategui/FIFA via Getty Images)

How USMNT’s World Cup run-up, global ranking compares to past hosts

By Jeff Rueter une 13, 2025 9:56 am EDT

When Mauricio Pochettino was hired to coach the U.S. men’s national team in September 2024, the federation amplified their shared “belief that U.S. Soccer is on the cusp of something truly special.” Over the past week, however, his squad couldn’t even handle a Turkey and Swiss.

A year away from the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico and sandwiched in between two regional competitions, the USMNT hardly looks ready. Pochettino’s side followed an embarrassing fourth-place showing at the Nations League with a pair of consecutive friendly losses. The latest, a 4-0 thrashing against Switzerland – with all goals coming in the first 36 minutes – provides little optimism about the looming Concacaf Gold Cup, to say nothing of the sport’s grandest tournament.

How much of an outlier is this brutal run-up to hosting the World Cup? To understand how the USMNT compares to past hosts, let’s look back at every one since the U.S. last hosted the men’s World Cup in 1994. To look at how a team improved or regressed, we’ll use the Elo Ratings system. While FIFA’s rankings are pushed the hardest and even used for competition draws, the formula has changed often and still seems unreflective of recent form. The Elo model uses head-to-head results to award points to teams after every game, with the score fully transparent and ranked among every other national team in the world.

The Elo Rating also considers the stakes of a game, where competitive games will impact a team’s rating to a more outsized extent than a friendly. For example, one-goal defeats to Panama and Canada in March’s Concacaf Nations League have more sway over the U.S.’s Elo Rating than Tuesday’s loss to Switzerland or January’s 3-1 win over Venezuela.

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Over the course of six games in 2025, the model assesses Pochettino’s side to be in freefall. After rising to 28th globally at the end of the January window, four straight defeats have sunk the U.S. to 45th — its lowest ranking since 1997. That feels a bit more honest than FIFA’s latest rankings, which has the USMNT 16th in the world as of April 3.

The other 2026 cohosts have only seen slight changes to their ranking since the start of 2025. Mexico has risen eight spots, from 32nd to 24th, while Canada has taken a slight dip from 26th to 29th. At the start of the year, the USMNT was nestled between their regional rivals; now, faltering form has placed the U.S. well behind the pack.

Using Elo, we hope to answer a simple question: did the games host nations played in the 18 months preceding their World Cup leave them in better or worse position in the global landscape?

Alexi Lalas and the USMNT hosted the 1994 World Cup. (Photo by Patrick Hertzog/AFP/Getty Images)

United States, 1994

Elo Rating on January 1, 1993: 32nd (1688)

For the first half of 1993, the hosts (who had qualified outright in 1990) slumped through 14 friendlies. Most notable was a 3-1 defeat at then-74th ranked Japan, while the program notched credible draws against Denmark and Russia on home soil.

Then came the U.S. Cup, a short-lived round robin tournament providing stout competition: Brazil, England and Germany. While the United States lost its opener to Brazil and lost a 4-3 slugfest against Germany, the middle match was an undeniable highlight. The USMNT beat England 2-0 in Foxborough, with Thomas Dooley and Alexi Lalas scoring. England, which entered the match ranked ninth, ultimately failed to qualify for the 1994 World Cup.

The USMNT fell back to earth immediately after, taking one point from its Copa América group. A month later, it finished as runner-up to Mexico in the 1993 Gold Cup, sinking to 55th at year’s end after some more worrying friendlies. 1994 began in the same vein, with friendlies ranging from wins over Norway and Mexico to defeats against Sweden, Iceland and Chile.

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Pre-tournament record: 13-19-17 (1.18 ppg)

Elo Rating before 1994 World Cup: 58th (1605); -26 ranks

No match from this 18-month stretch carried as much weight, in the Elo ratings and in real life, as the U.S.’s 2-1 win over Colombia. The infamous result that ultimately cost Andrés Escobar his life helped the USMNT advance from its group, coupled with an opening-match draw against Switzerland. Ultimately, the hosts fell in the round of 16 to eventual champion Brazil.

Elo Rating after 1994 World Cup: 49th (1627)

Trend: -17 ranks, -61 points

France, 1998

Elo Rating on January 1, 1997: 3rd (2017)

This is where the difference between the nascent early 1990s USMNT and the well-established nature of Les Bleus becomes starkly pronounced. While the U.S. needed to enter and host any tournament it could to whip itself into readiness, France kept a fairly lean datebook during its run-up, playing just 15 games compared to its hosting predecessor’s 49.

France spent the entirety of its prep ranked either third or fourth in the Elo Ratings, averaging roughly one friendly a month against mostly European opposition. A win against Spain was quickly nullified by a defeat in Russia. In a hosted friendly tournament akin to the U.S. Cup, France struggled, drawing with Brazil and Italy but losing to England. Its final window gave cause for concern: a narrow victory over Belgium (20th), a draw against Morocco (31st) and a slim win at Finland (68th) were hardly befitting of a World Cup contender.

In hindsight, the close calls allowed the team to coalesce ahead of the occasion. After all, youngsters Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry and David Trezeguet entered the tournament with just 14 combined international caps.

Pre-tournament record: 8-5-2 (1.93 ppg)

Elo Rating before 1998 World Cup: 4th (2004); -1 rank

France snapped out of its pre-tournament sleepwalk in a hurry, claiming all nine points on offer from a thin Group C despite Zinedine Zidane being sent off in its second group match. Its path through the knockout bracket was also unconvincing in moments: narrowly overcoming Paraguay in the round of 16, needing a shootout to see out Italy in the quarterfinal and pipping Croatia 2-1 in the semifinal.Ultimately, Davor Šuker’s goal was the only one France would concede after the group stage. The tale of the 1998 final is largely told through a Brazilian’s vantage point, as Ronaldo’s pre-match convulsive fit led to Mário Zagallo removing him from his lineup before reinstating him just 45 minutes before kickoff. The striker looked like a shell of himself, while a Zidane brace and a last-minute celebrator from Emmanuel Petit ensured the World Cup trophy remained in France.

Elo Rating after 1998 World Cup: 1st (2090); +3 ranks 

Trend from start: +2 ranks, +73 points

Japan, 2002

Elo Rating on January 1, 2001: 21st (1797)

One of two nations to serve as the first co-hosts in tournament history, Japan also benefitted from the Confederations Cup no longer being a Saudi Arabian-organized standalone. Instead, this was the first installment where it served as a dress rehearsal for hosts a year out from the World Cup, providing meaningful matches in venues that would become familiar to a global audience the following summer.

Japan won its group, beating Canada and Cameroon before playing Brazil to a scoreless draw. Japan then beat Australia 1-0 in the semifinal before falling to France in the final by an identical scoreline. It was the undeniable high point of the build-up period, which otherwise saw a smattering of friendlies on either side of the Confederations Cup.

Pre-tournament record: 8-6-5 (1.58 ppg)

Elo Rating before 2002 World Cup: 15th (1850); +6 ranks

As with the previous summer, Japan won its group after drawing with Belgium and beating Russia and Tunisia. The good luck ended once the knockout bracket took shape, however, as Japan stared down Turkey in the round of 16.

History remembers this Turkey side as one of the great knockout grinders in World Cup history. Japan ultimately fell 1-0, with Ümit Davala scoring the lone goal in the 12th minute. Turkey went on to finish third in the tournament, notching another 1-0 win in the quarterfinal. As such, Japan finished this stretch in a near-identical standing to where it began at the start of 2001.

Elo Rating after 2002 World Cup: 20th (1827) 

Trend from start: +1 rank, +30 points

South Korea was a semifinalist at the 2002 World Cup it cohosted. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

South Korea, 2002

Elo Rating on January 1, 2001: 25th (1765)

Another beneficiary of the Confederations Cup, South Korea didn’t fare nearly as well as its co-host. A 5-0 defeat in its opener against France left the team at a severe disadvantage. While it did well to beat Mexico and Australia in its final group games, the blowout saw South Korea finish third in Group A, eliminated on goal difference.

Like Japan, South Korea flanked its Confederations Cup appearance with friendlies. Wins over Croatia and the U.S. served as highpoints, while it suffered another 5-0 defeat shortly after the Confederations Cup, this time against Czech Republic. Unlike its co-hosts, however, South Korea participated in the 2002 Concacaf Gold Cup (held in January and February), hoping to bolster its preparations. The guests held their own, losing to the USMNT in the group but beating Mexico on penalties in the quarterfinal. Ultimately, they lost to eventual runner-up Costa Rica in a 3-1 semifinal before Canada beat them in the consolation game — the two most consequential results from this stretch according to the Elo Ratings.

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Pre-tournament record: 11-11-9 (1.42 ppg)

Elo Rating before 2002 World Cup: 34th (1736); -9 ranks

It was South Korea who fared better among the co-hosts. It kicked off its tournament with a 2-0 win over Poland, but a draw against the USMNT left Korean hopes of advancing in the balance entering the final game against Portugal. The visiting favorites did themselves no favors, as João Pinto drew a 29th-minute red card for sliding through the back of Park Ji-sung. Still a few years ahead of his move to Manchester United, Park scored the match-winner in the second half to vault South Korea to its knockout bracket in World Cup history – and famously send the U.S. through in the process.

History hasn’t been entirely favorable to the ensuing semifinal run. Francesco Totti was sent off in the round of 16 on a controversial call, while Spanish media still believe that then-FIFA executive Jack Warner rigged the quarterfinals by giving the cohosts a favorable referee assignment. No matter: after beating Italy on a golden goal, South Korea toppled Spain in PKs, only to have a storybook run ending with a 1-0 semifinal defeat to Germany.

Elo Rating after 2002 World Cup: 27th (1782)

Trend from start: -2 ranks, +17 points

Germany, 2006

Elo Rating on January 1, 2005: 12th (1883)

Jurgen Klinsmann had his work cut out for him ahead of Germany’s hosting duties, having to fold in a rising generation (including Bastian Schweinsteiger, Per Mertesacker and Lukas Podolski) into the established core led by Oliver Kahn, Michael Ballack and Miroslav Klose. Controversially, Klinsmann took the captain’s armband off of Kahn and thrust him into a goalkeeper competition with Jens Lehmann, unsettling the program’s mainstays.

The group made an unconvincing case at its Confederations Cup: wins against Australia, Tunisia and Mexico were overshadowed by a draw against Argentina and a 3-2 defeat to Brazil in a rematch of the 2002 final. Its preparations closed out with some concerning results, namely losses in Slovakia and Turkey.

Italy logged a 4-1 win over Germany three months before the tournament, leaving many to wonder if Klinsmann was cut out for international management as the FIFA rankings placed the hosts 22nd. The Elo Ratings’ head-to-head model liked them much more than that, though, positioning them 10th entering the 2006 World Cup.

Pre-tournament record: 10-5-4 (1.84 ppg)

Elo Rating before 2006 World Cup: 10th (1913); +2 ranks

Germany left no bones about its group, beating Costa Rica, Poland and Ecuador by a combined 8-2 scoreline. A Podolski brace inside 12 minutes sprung the hosts to an early lead in the round of 16 against Sweden, seeing out that scoreline to book a date with pre-tournament favorite Argentina in the quarterfinal. Lehmann backed his coach’s trust with some shootout heroics, working off research notes tucked in his sock before making two saves to send Germany to the semis.

The hosts played Italy hard in the semifinal, forcing extra time and keeping the contest scoreless for 118 minutes. Seemingly, Lehmann would have another chance to unfurl paper from his hosiery. Instead, Italy left back Fabio Grosso broke the stalemate in the 119th minute, with Alessandro Del Piero finishing the job two minutes later.

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Germany went on to beat Portugal in the third place game, while Italy beat France after Zidane’s infamous headbutt. Klinsmann would ride the coattails of this performance into several jobs over the years, most notably leading the U.S. from 2011-2017 before being sacked in the middle of its only World Cup qualification failure since 1986.

Elo Rating after 2006 World Cup: 8th (1955) 

Trend from start: +4 ranks, +72 points

South Africa, 2010

Elo Rating on January 1, 2009: 75th (1534)

Even compared to the plucky USMNT of 1994, no previous World Cup host was a clearer underdog who would’ve otherwise struggled to qualify than South Africa. Bafana Bafana made the field in 1998 and 2002, but was still in a rebuilding phase as 2009 kicked off. The guarantee of meaningful games provided ample opportunity for growth, between tournament hopefuls like Chile and Serbia wanting to pay the hosts a friendly visit and the Confederations Cup fielding top opponents.

South Africa advanced from its Confederations Cup group after beating New Zealand and drawing with Iraq and falling against Spain. It lost to Brazil 1-0 in the semis and 3-2 in a consolation rematch against a Spain side reeling from its shocking defeat to the USMNT. The three losses began a six-match skid in the summer and fall of 2009, followed by friendly losses against Serbia, Germany and Ireland.

Equally surprising was the struggle at the 2009 COSAFA Cup in Zimbabwe, with South Africa finishing fourth among 13 teams from the Southern part of Africa. The New Zealand win was its most impactful result of the build-up, followed by friendly victories over Norway, Jamaica and Colombia.

Pre-tournament record: 14-8-12 (1.56 ppg)

Elo Rating before 2010 World Cup: 63rd (1594); +12 ranks

While the tournament opener from Siphiwe Tshabalala was an instant classic, South Africa suffered from receiving an unusually tough draw for a host. Mexico leveled late in that opening match, and Uruguay thrashed them 3-0 in Pretoria. South Africa sprung one last surprise by toppling a rudderless France 2-1 in the finale, but a -2 goal differential saw the hosts go out in a tie-breaker with Mexico.

Then again, the 63rd-best team in the world seldom advances from a World Cup group.

Elo Rating after 2010 World Cup: 54th (1619) 

Trend from start: +21 ranks, +85 points

Brazil went out of its World Cup in 2014 in historic fashion. (Photo by Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images)

Brazil, 2014

Elo Rating on January 1, 2013: 2nd (2051)

Twelve years after Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Kaká won Brazil’s fifth World Cup, Neymar seemed poised to lead his nation to a record-extending sixth. Brazil stayed in the top three of the Elo Ratings throughout its run-up, although the defensive cracks that doomed the Seleção in the tournament were visible ahead of time.

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Brazil opened 2013 with a 2-1 friendly loss to England at Wembley, then drew four of its next five games against Italy, Russia, Chile and England again. Pressure was building ahead of the Confederations Cup, but a perfect nine-point group stage against Japan, Mexico and Italy returned Brazil to the ascendency. The hosts ultimately won the tune-up tournament final against Spain, winning six of seven games to close 2013 in pole position.

Their 2014 schedule was quite lean: a 5-0 win in South Africa, and a pair of wins against Panama and Serbia immediately before the group stage kicked off. What could possibly go wrong?

Pre-tournament record: 16-4-2 (2.36 ppg)

Elo Rating before 2014 World Cup: 1st (2038); +1 rank

First, the good: Brazil won its group with Mexico, Croatia and Cameroon and weathered a round-of-16 test by eliminating Chile in PKs. Their 2-1 win in the quarterfinal over Colombia was marred by Neymar exiting on a stretcher after taking a knee to his back, ruling him out for the competition.

You know what came next. With Neymar injured and Thiago Silva suspended, Brazil was a shell of itself in a 7-1 scoreline that is among the most famous (or infamous, depending on your slant) results in history. That Germany went on to win the final provided no consolation. It’s a loss from which Brazil has seemingly never recovered.

Elo Rating after 2014 World Cup: 7th (1980)

Trend from start: -5 ranks, -71 points

Russia, 2018

Elo Rating on January 1, 2017: 39th (1691)

Rather than play a balanced schedule of home and away matches, as most hosts before had done, Russia played all but two games at home, working to foster a staunch advantage when the tournament rolled around.

While friendly results were uneven as the Russians invited likely qualifiers like Brazil, Spain and Argentina, their Confederations Cup was arguably even more worrisome. After dispatching New Zealand 2-0 in the opener, losses against Portugal and Mexico saw Russia be the second Confederations Cup host to fall in the group stage.

While Russia notched a 4-2 win in its first friendly after that, it failed to win any of the ensuing seven friendlies before the World Cup.

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Pre-tournament record: 2-5-8 (0.73 ppg)

Elo Rating before 2018 World Cup: 44th (1678); -5 ranks

Leaning into the feverish fan-created atmospheres, Russia shocked everyone by holding its own. Wins over Saudi Arabia and Egypt were enough to advance from their group despite a loss to Uruguay. Russia labored to force penalty shootouts in its two knockout games, beating Spain in the round of 16 before falling to eventual runner-up Croatia in the quarterfinal.

Elo Rating after 2018 World Cup: 38th (1721)

Trend from start: +1 rank, +30 points

2022 World Cup host Qatar didn’t earn a single point in the group stage. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Qatar, 2022

Elo Rating on June 1, 2021: 47th (1646)

Qatar didn’t follow Russia’s lead and instead took a page from South Korea’s book by looking for additional tournaments. With AFC combining qualification for the World Cup and Asian Cup in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Qatar got meaningful games against regional rivals before accepting an invitation into the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup. A group win over Honduras and a quarterfinal triumph over El Salvador more than made up for a semifinal loss against the USMNT.

In the first run-up without a Confederations Cup since 1998 after FIFA folded the tournament, Qatar hosted the 2021 Arab Cup as a test event. Qatar finished third, winning four games before losing to Algeria and beating Egypt on penalties in a third place game. 2022 featured many friendlies against lower-ranked opponents, with a 2-1 win over Panama (in Spain) being the standout result.

Pre-tournament record: 16-7-8 (1.77 ppg)

Elo Rating before 2022 World Cup: 48th (1680); -1 rank

Qatar went on to make history in 2022, just not how it had intended. It became the first World Cup host to exit a group stage without netting a single point. Its draw was tough, with matches against Netherlands, Senegal and Ecuador.

Elo Rating after 2022 World Cup: 65th (1578)

Trend from start: -18 ranks, -68 points

Ranking each host’s rise and fall entering its World Cup:

1. South Africa, 2010: +12 ranks
2. Japan, 2002: +6 ranks
3. Germany, 2006: +2 ranks
4. Brazil, 2014: +1 rank
5. France, 1998: -1 rank
6. Qatar, 2022: -1 rank
7. Russia, 2018: -5 ranks
8. South Korea, 2002: -9 ranks
9. United States, 1994: -26 ranks

Ranking the hosts’ rises and falls at World Cup’s end:

1. South Africa, 2010: +21 ranks
2. Germany, 2006: +4 ranks
3. France, 1998: +2 ranks
T-4. Japan, 2002: +1 rank
T-4. Russia, 2018: +1 rank
6. South Korea, 2002: -2 ranks
7. Brazil, 2014: -5 ranks
8. United States, 1994: -17 ranks
9. Qatar, 2022: -18 ranks

Club World Cup and referees: Explaining the new goalkeeping rule, ‘Ref Cam’ and advanced VAR

By Philip Buckingham June 13, 2025 7:30 am EDT

They number 117 and have travelled from 41 different countries. But what is expected from the Club World Cup’s match officials now they have assembled in the United States?It feels like a step into new territory. FIFA, the tournament organiser, has introduced innovations it predicts will “enhance fan experience, transparency and operations” and at the heart of those will be all those referees, assistants and VARs picked from around the globe.The last 10 days have been spent fine-tuning an understanding of new rules and roles. Here, The Athletic assesses how life will change for match officials at the Club World Cup, and what impact it will have on players and fans.

Eight-second rule for goalkeepers

Time wasting has become an increasing bugbear of football’s key stakeholders. Back in March, the game’s rule maker, the International Football Association Board (IFAB), approved a significant change designed as a clampdown. An amendment to Law 12.2 will see goalkeepers given eight seconds to release the ball from their hands or be punished with a corner being awarded to the opposing team.The Club World Cup, along with the European Under-21 Championship being played in Slovakia, will see that formally put into practice, with referees counting down from eight and raising an arm to indicate when there are five seconds left for the goalkeeper to act. Any attacker found to be obstructing the goalkeeper, though, will have an indirect free kick awarded against them.“In many leagues, the goalkeeper can tend to keep the ball in his hands for 20 or even 25 seconds, which is a huge amount of time during a match,” Pierluigi Collina, the head of FIFA’s referees committee and a celebrated former official, told reporters on Wednesday. “There is nothing entertaining in this.”

Goalkeepers will only be allowed to hold the ball for eight seconds (John Thys/AFP via Getty Images)

The previous version of the rule allowed goalkeepers six seconds before an indirect free kick was awarded, but that law had increasingly become unenforced within the professional game.The new eight-second rule will come into place at all levels of the game from July 1 and follows a trial period at this year’s Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana, the South American equivalents to UEFA’s Champions League and Europa League.Collina attempted to quell concerns that the alternative rule would lead to a spike in corners at the Club World Cup. The Italian said that in the 160 trial matches played in South America, only two goalkeepers were punished.This is the latest step in FIFA’s attempts to tackle time-wasting and do not be surprised to see games at the Club World Cup follow Qatar 2022 with ample minutes added. “Time lost will be compensated,” said Collina.

‘Ref cam’ is here

Match officials will have to think differently over the coming weeks but their appearance is also going to look a little out of the ordinary.Attached to the earpiece and microphone already worn for communication purposes, there will be a tiny camera capturing a “ref’s-eye” view of the action at each Club World Cup game.FIFA, with the blessing of IFAB, stresses this is only a trial but the motivation is primarily to “offer TV viewers a new experience” during matches. The camera feed’s footage will be transmitted via a private 5G connection to production teams, who will be able to then show replays of key moments. Only the six NFL stadiums being used at the Club World Cup, though, have the technological capabilities to use footage live, such as at the coin toss.“During the match, there might be an occasion to show the play from a very unique perspective, the referee’s eyes,” said Collina.

A headset similar to the one that will be worn by officials at the Club World Cup (Rolf Vennenbernd/picture alliance via Getty Images)

There will be limits to what is shown. Any incidents captured by the referee’s camera considered controversial, such as penalty decisions or red cards, will not be approved for broadcast.“This is a trial,” added Collina. “We need to do something new — and the simpler the better. So we fixed some rules within a protocol. Will we offer these images in the future? Maybe when we learn to run, maybe not, maybe we will do.”That is not the only technology advancement directly impacting the officials at the Club World Cup. Video assistant referee (VAR) footage shown to the referee during a game at the monitor will be broadcast simultaneously to the stadium crowd over the big screen, before a final decision is relayed over the public address system.And forget those fiddly bits of paper exchanged every time a team wants to make a substitution. FIFA has introduced substitute tablets given to each bench, with changes punched into that and shared with the fourth official and broadcast teams.

Advanced technology

There is no going back on the VAR system in football, but Collina accepted this week it has led to problems that FIFA will attempt to address, using more technology, at the Club World Cup.“Since the very beginning (of the VAR system), on-pitch assistant referees have been told in case of doubt, keep the flag down,” he said. “It went a bit far. The doubt became bigger and bigger.“We worked on this because we were aware that the decision to keep the flag down, which is part of how VAR works, may lead to some consequences.”A grave example was the injury suffered by Nottingham Forest’s Taiwo Awoniyi, who had to be placed in an induced coma in April when an offside decision was not flagged and play allowed to continue.Semi-automated offside technology has been around since 2022 as a support tool for assistants, but FIFA’s advanced system, previously trialled at the Intercontinental Cup in December, provides “real-time alerts to match officials in the event of clear offsides”.An audio signal will be sent to the assistants informing them that an offside flag can be raised but FIFA stresses this is not diminishing the touchline role. What it considers “challenging offside scenarios” will still need the VAR to clear the decision.

Referees appointed for Club World Cup 2025

Michael Oliver (England)
Anthony Taylor (England)
Ramon Abatti (Brazil)
Omar Al Ali (UAE)
Ivan Barton (El Salvador)
Dahane Beida (Mauritania)
Juan Gabriel Benitez (Paraguay)
Espen Eskas (Norway)
Alireza Faghani (Australia)
Salman Falahi (Qatar)
Yael Falcon Perez (Argentina)
Drew Fischer (Canada)
Cristian Garay (Chile)
Mustapha Ghorbal (Algeria)
Mutaz Ibrahim (Libya)
Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh (New Zealand)
Istvan Kovacs (Romania)
Francois Letexier (France)
Ning Ma (China)
Danny Makkelie (Netherlands)
Szymon Marciniak (Poland)
Said Martinez (Honduras)
Jean Jacques Ndala Ngambo (DR Congo)
Glenn Nyberg (Sweden)
Tori Penso (U.S.)
Cesar Ramos (Mexico)
Wilton Sampaio (Brazil)
Issa Sy (Senegal)
Ilgiz Tantashev (Uzbekistan)
Gustavo Tejera (Uruguay)
Facundo Tello (Argentina)
Clement Turpin (France)
Jesus Valenzuela (Venezuela)
Slavko Vincic (Slovenia)
Felix Zwayer (Germany)

(Top photo: Anthony Taylor; Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)