Two Value Tips For the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup

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The revamped FIFA Club World Cup gets underway this summer, with a complete overhaul making the tournament a must-see affair. Previously, the competition was somewhat of an afterthought, with the planet’s seven continental champions battling it out in single knockout games for not much more than bragging rights and a pretty gold patch to place on the front of their shirts. That has all changed. 

Now, 32 of the world’s best will battle it out in a tournament resembling its international namesake. They will head to the United States this June and July, initially in eight groups of four before knockout football gets underway from the round of 16 onwards. On July 13th, one victorious team will emerge at MetLife Stadium and secure the right to be called World Champions in this exciting new format. 

The upcoming spectacle promises to be a blockbuster affair, and here are two tips that you should consider backing before the action gets underway. 

Palmeiras To Win Group A 

Inter Miami will get the tournament underway on June 14th on home turf at Hard Rock Stadium and Lionel Messi and Co. will be aiming to impress. The Argentinian genius has taken America by storm since his arrival in the summer of 2023. The guys over at the popular At Odds podcast were swooning over his exploits when he bagged seven goals in his first four games for the Floridians, and he has only added to his resume in the 18 months since. 

But while the MLS side could have success in the tournament, it’s their group rivals Palmeiras that we fancy to top Group A. The Brazilian outfit had a stellar season in 2024, finishing second in Serie A behind the destiny-bound Botafogo. They also have previous prestige in this tournament, finishing as runners-up back in 2021, after heartbreakingly losing out to Chelsea, thanks to Kai Havertz’s penalty deep into extra time in the final. 

Many European heavyweights will embark on the States this summer, but the only team from the continent that Palmeiras will face in the group stage is FC Porto, hardly terrifying. Online sports gambling sites still make the Portuguese side the favorites to top the group, but we see plenty of value in the Brazilians. The latest odds from Bovada’s online sports gambling platform currently make them the +185 second favorites to finish at the summit of group A, narrowly behind Porto at +135. Those odds could shift dramatically if Palmeiras get the win when the two clash in their opening game of the tournament. 

Paris Saint-Germain To Reach the Semifinals 

French giants Paris Saint Germain have taken the world by storm this season. For years, they were somewhat of a laughing stock on the biggest stages, continually dominating domestically but floundering on the continent. Even a front three of Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, and Neymar couldn’t get them past the UEFA Champions League round of 16 for love nor money. 

That has all changed under current boss Luis Enrique. The Spanish boss famously led Barcelona to an iconic treble back in 2015, and a decade on, he is leading the Parisians to heights they have never reached before. They will resoundingly win Ligue 1 once more, and they are safely through to the quarterfinals of the Champions League as well, knocking out tournament favorites Liverpool at Anfield along the way. 

Gone are the days of overpaying for global superstars, with a new policy of investing in youth occasionally sprinkled with the addition of the in-form star. Winger Ousmane Dembele is unquestionably the star of the show and he seems to have finally come of age eight years on from that €140m move to Barcelona. The Frenchman looks to have finally found a home at the Parc Des Princes, and with support from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Bradley Barcola, the PSG frontline can cause problems for any defense in the world. 

The bookies currently have them priced at +300 to reach the semifinals, and we can’t figure out why. Admittedly, they will face Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid in the group stage, but providing they get past that test unscathed, the road to the semifinals is hardly a murderer’s row of opponents. 

In the Round of 16, they will likely face either Boca Juniors or Benfica, and in the quarterfinal, they will most likely clash with a Chelsea side that is a shadow of its former self. Both those contests are winnable, and they could progress to the final four at a canter. And if you’re feeling really brave, you could back them to go all the way and win the tournament. 

The Parisians are priced as long as +1200 to win the tournament outright with the aforementioned Bovada. To put that into perspective, Chelsea are somehow priced at +900 and Inter Milan are +1000, both shorter than the French champions. We personally would play it safe with the +300 semi-final shot, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see them go all the way.