FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Group C Preview: Bayern to Dominate?

Group C Winner Odds

The best Club World Cup betting sites naturally expect Bayern Munich (-250) to finish first, giving them an implied probability of 71.43% for the top spot.

Their main opponents will be Benfica (+325) and Boca Juniors (+500), while the oddsmakers have completely discarded Auckland City (+10000).

Let’s check the odds to progress to the knockouts next.

To Qualify from Group C Odds

The top two teams from this group will qualify for the next round, and the bookies seem certain that Bayern Munich will be one of them. It’s hard to argue against that, but the complicated part comes next.

It should be a close fight between Benfica and Boca Juniors, with both sides confident of their chances to reach the next stage of the Club World Cup 2025.

Once again, Auckland City are at the bottom of the odds and are expected to go home early. It’s hard to argue against that, given the quality of the opposition.

Bayern Munich – The Obvious Favorite

• • League: Bundesliga (Germany)
  • Manager: Vincent Company
  • Key Players: Harry Kane, Jamal Musiala, Joshua Kimmich

Bayern Munich’s 2024-25 season has been hard to evaluate, with the club winning the Bundesliga but failing to impress in the Champions League.

The FIFA Club World Cup represents a good opportunity to make it a success. This should give Bayern enough motivation, and they are coming to the tournament with their best players. All the stars will be here, including new signings Jonathan Tah and Tom Bischof.

The German champions possess quality all over the pitch, most notably up front. They scored 99 goals in 34 Bundesliga games, with Harry Kane, Michael Olise, and Leroy Sane producing consistently throughout the season.

The defense is solid as well, while the likes of Musiala and Kimmich expertly pull the strings in the middle of the park.

This team should be able to win the group rather comfortably, simply based on depth and quality.

Benfica – Last Chance to Save the Season

• • League: Primeria Liga (Portugal)
  • Head Coach: Bruno Lage
  • Key Players: Alvaro Carreras, Tomas Araujo, Anatoliy Trubin

Benfica is coming into the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 after losing the Portuguese title to Sporting by 2 points. To add insult to injury, the side was beaten by the same opponent in the Portuguese Cup final.

Finishing second in the two major domestic competitions certainly hurt Benfica, but the team has another chance of success in the Club World Cup.

The team received a huge boost after Real Madrid failed to sign their star player Alvaro Carreras before the Club World Cup. According to the latest reports, the left back will play for Benfica in the USA.

He will be eager to leave with a bang, and with the help of guys like Araujo, Pavlidis, Trubin, and Antonio Silva, Benfica should be competitive. It will be hard to finish above Bayern Munich but progressing to the next stage is a realistic goal.

Benfica have a balanced squad with talented players all over the pitch. The main problem is that many of them are young, which could be a problem in the knockouts. Still, the Portuguese are the most likely team to join Bayern in the next stage.

Boca Juniors– Fresher Than the Rest?

• • League: Primera División (Argentina)
  • Manager: Miguel Angel Russo
  • Key Players: Miguel Merentiel, Carlos Palacios, Kevin Zenon

The iconic Argentinian club Boca Juniors is currently in a fierce battle against Argentinos Juniors for the top spot in the local Primera Division. The team was leading but slipped up a few times recently and currently sits second on a worse goal difference.

Morale is low and goals are lacking right now, but Boca Juniors have one advantage: freshness. While Auckland and the two European teams just finished their seasons, Boca is in the middle of their campaign.

The team should be fresh, which is enough of a reason to give them a chance to progress to the next round. And yet, Boca Juniors haven’t scored two or more goals in the same game since mid-April, so I don’t trust their current form.

If the attack doesn’t improve for the Club World Cup, Boca will go home after the group stage.

Auckland FC – Even a Point Would Be a Miracle

• • League: A-League (Australia)
  • Head Coach: Stever Corica
  • Key Players: Alex Paulsen, Guillermo May, Jake Brimmer

I don’t want to be disrespectful to Auckland FC, but I don’t see them achieving anything in this tournament. The Australian A-League is miles behind the Argentinian and Portuguese leagues, let alone the German Bundesliga.

The team is multiple levels behind all their opponents in the group, so it will be tough to even get a point. Auckland FC will likely try to defend and hit the opposition on the counter, but that will be hard.

I expect three defeats from the underdogs, so I don’t see how they can influence the fight for the knockouts.