The Outright favourites for the FIFA Club World Cup are all based in Europe. This might not come as a surprise, as a European side has won the tournament in each of the last 11 editions. In fact, only on four occasions has a non-European side won the Club World Cup.
The first three editions were won by Brazilian sides - Corinthians in 2000, Sao Paulo in 2005 and Internacional in 2006. Corinthians also won in 2012.
Aside from those instances, the tournament has been dominated by European clubs. English side Manchester City are the current Champions, winning in 2023. They head into this tournament as joint favourites, along with Spain’s Real Madrid who hold the record of most Club World Cup titles with five.
Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Inter Milan are also amongst the favourites. However, many sides have had gruelling, tiring seasons. Manchester City, for example, would have played almost 60 matches by the time the Club World Cup begins. Real Madrid would have played even more, so tiredness might come into play in this competition.
With the extended format, and many more games to be played, it’s very difficult to judge how much a gruelling season could play its part. In the 2023 edition, eventual winners Manchester City only joined the competition at the semi-final stage. This time around, there’s Group Stages and Knockout Stages to contend with.
Let’s take a look at some of the outsiders. The Brazilian sides taking part, Botafogo, Palmeiras, Fluminense and Flamengo, alongside Argentine sides Boca Juniors and River Plate, are only half-way through their seasons and so tiredness might not be as much as an issue for these teams as it could be for their European counterparts. This means that while the odds might suggest they’re unlikely to win, this doesn’t necessarily reflect the true potential of possible outright winners. Value can be found in this market, along with markets such as To Reach The Final and To Reach The Semi Final. It’s also worth noting that a Brazilian side has reached the Final in four of the last seven editions of the FIFA Club World Cup.