The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup is off and running, and has produced plenty of talking points and storylines already. Let’s catch you up on what’s happening, what you’ve missed and what’s still to come.
We will update this file throughout each matchday with the latest reporting, analysis and fun from the competition, so check back regularly for the latest news as we follow the fun leading up to the tournament final at MetLife Stadium on July 13.
The lead: Di Maria, Benfica upset Bayern to top Group C
Ángel Di María isn’t ready to leave Benfica just yet. The winger, 37, will head back to boyhood club Rosario Central when this Club World Cup is over. But that will have to wait, after Benfica’s 1-0 win over favorites Bayern Munich in Charlotte, North Carolina, confirmed their place in the last 16.
In 97-degree heat — temperatures so high that Bayern decided to follow Borussia Dortmund in allowing their substitutes to watch the game from the locker room — Di Maria rolled back the years. He was involved in the move that put Benfica ahead in the 13th minute, and much later, in the 80th minute, there he was: tirelessly collecting the ball, holding off a defender’s challenge, turning into space and moving the play on, allowing his team to keep possession.
Three minutes later, it was Di Maria calling on those endless reserves of energy and chasing Bayern’s Michael Olise, harrying a player 14 years his junior and pushing Olise, who had the ball, back to the halfway line. That was the story of the game: Bayern dominated, ending with 73% possession and more shots (13-7), crosses (20-3) and chances created (12-5). But Benfica were able to resist.
When Di Maria was finally substituted, in the 87th minute, he was on the far side of the field from the benches. It meant he had to take the long walk around the edge of the field as play continued, saluting the Benfica fans inside Bank of America Stadium as he went.
Di Maria wasn’t their only star. Goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin, 23, made four important saves and was named player of the match. Captain Nicolás Otamendi — also 37 — and his center-back partner António Silva, 21, made 20 clearances between them. Bayern, despite throwing on Harry Kane, Olise and Joshua Kimmich at halftime, were frustrated.
In added time, as Kane headed just wide at the near post, it was Otamendi who rose with him, throwing himself to the ground to earn a free kick. The Argentine’s teammates celebrated it like a goal. Moments later, at the full-time whistle, Otamendi embraced Silva, then Trubin. Benfica’s blend of youth and experience had done enough.
“The weather was extremely hot,” Trubin said afterward. “I’m so tired, I don’t feel nothing. I just want to rest.” He can rest until Saturday, when Benfica play next. Topping Group C, finishing unbeaten on seven points, means they’ll face Group D’s runners-up. Bayern, who made themselves tournament favorites when they beat Auckland 10-0, had to settle for second place. — Alex Kirkland
