Club World Cup Matchday 1 betting: Title tilt, upset alert and hipster's choice
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The Club World Cup is upon us. Will anybody watch it? That's unclear. But if there's football on, it means there's bets to be placed, so let's dig into the first round of fixtures and assess what's worth laying a wager on.
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For those venturing into these uncharted waters in search of a bit of familiarity, the warm embrace of PSG versus Atleti should make you feel at ease.
The European treble winners are, for obvious reasons, the favourites to win at 20/23. But given the recent, tiring exploits of their players — a Champions League final, followed swiftly by the UEFA Nations League finals — it's fair to wonder if Luis Enrique's men will struggle to find top gear in the USA.
If you subscribe to that idea, it opens up Atleti as a potential value bet. Perhaps taking them to win at 29/10 is an uncomfortable step, but betting on them to score a goal or two feels good.
The bet: Both Teams To Score Yes at 13/20.
Due to the quirks in how New Zealand teams are categorised by FIFA (owing to whether they play in the NZ domestic league or the Australian A-League), Auckland has ended up sending its second-best team to this tournament.
Think about that for a second. The second-best team in Auckland, New Zealand, is about to play Bayern Munich.
There's absolutely no point in straight-up betting on Die Rekordmeister at 1/50, but feel free to make a few pennies on it if you like. Instead, visualise how many goals you think Bayern — and in particular Harry Kane — will score, and work it into a funky bet.
For example, over 5.5 goals is 7/5, or betting on Bayern to beat a -4 handicap (need to win by five or more) is evens.
The bet: Bayern to win on -4 handicap at 1/1.
Much like in a traditional World Cup, there's almost no chance we get through the first round of fixtures without an upset occurring. Look down the list of the 16 games and pick your poison; someone is going to falter.
Could that team be Inter? At 14/1 to win the tournament, it's considered one of the strongest eight teams taking part. Monterrey, by comparison, are 200/1, which suggests this would be an almighty upset if it were to occur.
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But legitimate question marks are hanging over the Nerazzurri this month. How will they rebound from a gutting and ultimately embarrassing 5-0 Champions League final loss to PSG? How will their new coach, Cristian Chivu, pick up the pieces quickly? And will aging stars like Francesco Acerbi (37) and Henrikh Mkhitaryan (36) be in good condition to perform?
There's going to be an upset somewhere out there. This feels like as good a place as any to plant the flag.
The bet: Monterrey to win at 5/1.
There's a fan out there — you probably follow them on social media, and they likely own over 100 retro football shirts — with no connections to either of these sides, yet they cannot wait for this game.
River boasts a host of former top-level players who have returned to their homeland, as well as one of the most exciting young players in football, Franco Mastantuono, who has caught the attention of Real Madrid.
Urawa Red Diamonds are the J-League's representatives in this tournament, a division increasingly renowned for producing excellent players. Watching the Red Devils could mean you're watching the next East Asian starlet.
How will the game play out? No idea. But this is, theoretically, what the Club World Cup is all about: The meeting of two clubs located thousands of miles apart, showcasing their culture, style and offering a freshness that football sometimes struggles with in 2025.
The bet: Embrace the unknown with over 3.5 goals (23/10).
Inter Miami will open the tournament against Al Ahly at the Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday. They're far from the best team in MLS, but with home advantage, it's perhaps a little generous for them to be priced at evens (1/1) to win.
Of all the complete and obvious mismatches, Juventus' price of ⅙ to beat Al Ain is the best. It's easier to get value out of that than it is, say, Man City to beat Wydad AC.
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Betting/Odds links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains complete editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.
(Photo of Harry Kane: Maja Hitij / Getty Images)
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