After a round of 16 featuring some big upsets, GOAL ranks the remaining eight teams hoping to lift the trophy in New Jersey on July 13
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The last 16 of the revamped Club World Cup drew to a close on Tuesday, with Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund progressing to the quarter-finals as expected, after wins over Juventus and Monterrey, respectively. However, the first round of knockout games in the United States still produced plenty of shocks, the biggest of which saw Al-Hilal dump Manchester City out of the tournament with a sensational 4-3 win over Pep Guardiola's side.
There was also a massive surprise in Charlotte as Fluminense defeated Champions League runners-up Inter by playing the kind of catenaccio game for which the Nerazzurri were once famous.
Elsewhere, Palmeiras sprung a minor surprise by winning their all-Brazilian battle with Botafogo, Chelsea beat Benfica after extra-time, Bayern Munich got the better of Flamengo in a very entertaining encounter, while Paris Saint-Germain eliminated the 'hosts', Inter Miami, with a 4-0 rout of Lionel Messi & Co.
So, how do things stand now? Who's got a real shot at lifting the trophy at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 13? And who's likely to be heading home after this weekend's quarter-finals? GOAL rates and ranks the eight remaining participants…
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8Borussia Dortmund ⬆️
Dortmund have rather gone under the radar at the Club World Cup, primarily because their group-stage campaign was more than a little underwhelming. However, they demonstrated a mix of attacking class and defensive resilience to see off a dangerous Monterrey side in the last 16 to set up a quarter-final clash with Real Madrid, which is obviously a repeat of the 2024 Champions League final.
It's hard not to see Saturday's game going the same way, but BVB will be buoyed by the fact that star striker Serhou Guirassy opened his Club World Cup account with a decisive double in Atlanta on Tuesday.
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7Palmeiras ⬆️
Palmeiras may have got through the group stage undefeated, but their only win had come against Al Ahly, so they were undeniably underdogs going into their all-Brazilian last-16 showdown with Botafogo, who had upset PSG on matchday two. However, Abel Ferreira's side performed excellently against their compatriots and were good value for their 1-0 victory, which came courtesy of Paulinho's extra-time cool finish.
So, while key defender Gustavo Gomez will definitely be missed against Chelsea, after getting himself sent off for two bookable offences against Botafogo, Palmeiras will be able once again call on the services of Estevao Willian, the Stamford Bridge-bound teenager who has been one of the most exciting attacking talents on show in the tournament so far.
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6Al-Hilal ⬆️
While the strength of the Brazilian contingent has rightly received plenty of attention, Al-Hilal are undoubtedly the revelation of the 2025 Club World Cup. The Saudi Arabians may have spent a colossal amount of cash strengthening their squad over the past few years, but nobody expected them to make the quarter-finals in the States.
Al-Hilal are there on merit, though. After drawing with Real Madrid during an undefeated group-stage campaign, they produced the shock of the tournament so far by beating free-spending Manchester City in a seven-goal thriller in Orlando. As Simone Inzaghi said, they essentially had to "climb Mount Everest without oxygen – but we were great."
Consequently, Al-Hilal have absolutely nothing to fear from Fluminense – not with Yassine Bounou performing miracles in goal, Ruben Neves and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic excelling in midfield and Marcos Leonardo proving a menace in attack.
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5Bayern Munich ⬇️
After following up a record-breaking rout of Auckland City with a comfortable win over Boca Juniors, Bayern Munich blew top spot in Group C by losing 1-0 to Benfica. However, Vincent Kompany had rung the changes for the Bavarians' final group, in an understandable attempt to give some of his key men a break from the sweltering conditions in the States, and a stronger Bayern side re-established themselves as a potential title-winner in the last-16 win over Flamengo.
Perhaps the most encouraging aspect of the 4-2 win over a team that hadn't tasted defeat for 11 games was the performance of Harry Kane, who struggled at times in the group stage but found the back of the net with two fine finishes in Miami. Bayern will undoubtedly need their talisman performing at the peak of his considerable powers if they're get past PSG on Saturday.
Wrexham have unveiled their new home kit ahead of the 2025-26 Championship season and it's gone down very well with supporters.
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Wrexham preparing for life in Championship
Unveil new home kit for 2025-26 season
Fans love classic new design
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WHAT HAPPENED?
The Welsh side will be playing Championship football in the coming campaign and have shown off the kit they'll be wearing after securing back-to-back-to-back promotions. Wrexham say the new outfit "pays tribute to the club’s proud heritage" and was inspired by a design worn between 1981 and 1983.
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WHAT THE FANS ARE SAYING
Supporters were quick to react on social media and seem to like the club's latest effort.
Wrexham fan @beardywxm posted: "I was skeptical but thats sexy as f***"
Another supporter @WrexhamCanada added: "Take every goshdarn monopoly dollar I have."
And @JoshTomos1990 wrote: "Pure echoes of that Patrick kit in the 80’s. Another nod to the past (when we were in the Championship too). I love it."
There was more praise from @sarahwxm08 who wrote: "It’s a beauty. Love everything about it," while @andymorris85 said: "Fair play that’s a stunner."
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The design also features a tribute to Wrexham's mining history. There is a subtle tonal print of the Gresford Colliery Memorial along with the number 266, in remembrance of the miners who lost their lives in the 1934 disaster. The words "History only tells a story" – a lyric from the club's anthem – also features inside the hem along with pictures of the Welsh dragon.
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WHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?
Wrexham are currently in Australia as part of their pre-season tour and will take on Melbourne Victory next on Friday.
Switzerland training has been cancelled ahead of their Euro 2025 quarter-final against Spain after ilness spread through the squad.
Switzerland cancel training
Alisha Lehmann and Co told 30 minutes prior
Face Spain on Friday
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WHAT HAPPENED?
Per Blick, Swiss training was cancelled just 30 minutes before the players were due to begin, as a cold spreads through the camp. Multiple players are reported to have suffered symptoms, and the host nation of Euro 2025 thus decided to cancel their session on Tuesday.
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Alisha Lehmann and Co face Spain on Friday in their quarter-final, but their preparations have now been disrupted. Julia Stierli and Coumba Sow are both reported to be under the weather and the squad have been given the day off for recovery and recuperation.
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Switzerland came through the group stages in dramatic fashion, as Riola Xhemaili's injury-time equaliser sealed qualification against Finland. They have only played at two European Championships previously, in 2017 and 2022, being eliminated at the group stages on both occasions.
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WHAT NEXT?
Switzerland play Spain on Friday as they attempt to reach the semi-finals. Spain, of course, are ranked as the second-best international team in the world by FIFA.
Newcastle have announced the signing of Aaron Ramsdale on a season-long loan from Southampton.
Ramsdale joins Newcastle
England goalkeeper relegated with Southampton
Magpies have option to buy
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WHAT HAPPENED?
Ramsdale has joined the Magpies for an initial £4 million loan fee, with Eddie Howe's side able to make the deal permanent should they trigger the optional buy-clause. The England international spent just one season at Southampton following a £25 million ($33m) switch from Arsenal in which the Saints were relegated back to the Championship. Despite this, Ramsdale still performed and did enough to persuade another Premier League side to make a move for him.
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Newcastle have long been admirers of Ramsdale, having considered a move for the goalkeeper when he was at Arsenal. The Magpies instead opted to remain with Nick Pope in between the sticks, but following an injury-plagued, mixed season, decided they required a new shot-stopper. Howe's side had initially moved for Burnley's James Trafford but were gazumped by Manchester City.
DID YOU KNOW?
Ramsdale has experienced relegation from the Premier League with three different sides. He was part of Howe's Bournemouth team that fell out of the division, before being signed by Sheffield United – who were subsequently relegated the next campaign. A move to Arsenal meant he remained a top flight keeper for two further seasons before he was relegated with the Saints.
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WHAT NEXT FOR RAMSDALE?
Hopefully not another relegation for Ramsdale's sake. The goalkeeper will be hoping to become the number one at St James' Park and will be looking forward to playing in the Champions League – a competition he has made just one appearance in.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta has heaped praise on Paris Saint-Germain, describing the French club as one of the most exciting and dominant forces in European football and expressed optimism about a potential matchup with the Blaugrana in the upcoming campaign. Luis Enrique’s squad clinched both the Ligue 1 title and the UEFA Champions League and the Barcelona chief was quick to highlight the style and substance of the Parisian outfit.
Laporta hailed PSG dominance
Expects match-up soon in Champions League
Labelled it as face-off "the world is waiting for"
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WHAT HAPPENED?
Under the guidance of Hansi Flick, Barcelona enjoyed a stellar 2024–25 season and appeared poised to make a deep run in Europe’s elite club competition. However, their campaign ended in heartbreak at the semi-final stage, where they were eliminated by Italian giants Inter Milan. Had the Catalans triumphed in that tie, a dream final against PSG would have become a reality.
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WHAT LAPORTA SAID
Laporta admitted missing out on such a high-profile showdown was a significant disappointment, not just for the club but for football fans worldwide.
“PSG performed wonderfully last season,” he began saying in an interview with . “They won the Champions League, they won the French league, they play beautiful football with a great coach, exceptional players, and a strong team as well. Unfortunately, we couldn’t play against them.”
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While last season’s opportunity has passed, Laporta made it clear a Barcelona vs PSG contest remains a tantalising prospect for fans and players alike. He believes the two clubs are among the top-performing sides on the continent and are destined to meet at some point on the grandest stage in the upcoming season.
“It’s a football match the world is waiting for. Because I believe we were the two most competitive and best-prepared teams last season," he added.
“We hope to play against them this season so we can find out which one is better. With respect to all the other clubs, perhaps another club will emerge this season playing good football. But in terms of football, everyone who loves the game said last season that Barcelona and Paris were the teams in the best form and playing the best football in the world.”
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WHAT NEXT FOR BARCELONA?
Barcelona’s preparations for the new campaign continue this week, with the team set to host the Joan Gamper Trophy on August 10 against Como. Following that match, Barça will shift their focus to defending the La Liga crown, beginning with an away game against Mallorca next weekend.
Alexander Isak trained alone after being excluded from a family day at Newcastle on Wednesday and held showdown talks with manager Eddie Howe.
Isak linked with Liverpool
Trains alone after family day
Held showdown talks with Howe
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WHAT HAPPENED?
Per Keith Downie of Sky Sports, Isak trained away from the Newcastle squad on Wednesday as he continues to push for a potential move to Liverpool, amid reports of a British-record £150 million ($200m) bid from the Reds. Isak arrived at the training ground as the squad were leaving, fresh from a 'family day' to which Isak was not invited.
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He is understood to have held showdown talks with manager Howe, who is said to have left the facility before the Sweden international, as per Newcastle World journalist Charlie Bennett. Isak left around 7pm, meaning he stayed for three hours.
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Isak's time may be running out to seal a move to Anfield as Liverpool aim to complete a deal to sign a new forward. They are also said to have targeted Paris Saint-Germain star Bradley Barcola, potentially as an alternative to Isak amid the long-running saga.
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WHAT NEXT?
Newcastle play a friendly against Espanyol on Friday but Isak is incredibly unlikely to play. The Magpies kick off their Premier League season against Aston Villa next weekend and will hope to have clarity over the striker's future by then.
Garber attended an executive-level experience in the Hamptons last week, and shared how celebrity owners are impacting the league and its growth
Huddle in the Hamptons takes place as sporting execs meet
MLS commissioner Garber speaks on celebrity-driven ownership in league
Raves about Beckham at Inter Miami
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WHAT HAPPENED?
MLS commissioner Don Garber was an invitee at this past week, an executive-level event that brings together individuals from sports, technology, media and finance each year.
A key talking point across conversations was how celebrity-driven ownership, across all sports, is a rapidly growing trend, but in soccer, it's becoming an influential tool to elevate individual programs and clubs in the footballing world. Valuations of clubs across the world are surging, Front Office Sports says, and MLS has been a league to take advantage of that in recent years.
“Our best example is Beckham,” Garber said at the event on Friday. “He is an active owner. He comes to board meetings. He has a global perspective. He works hard, and he gives us the benefit of his gazillion Instagram followers.”
High-profile ownership groups across the league include legendary English footballer David Beckham at Inter Miami, and Hollywood A-list actors Will Ferrell at LAFC and Reese Witherspoon at Nashville SC.
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Garber also praised Ferrell due to his consistent advocacy for the and his unique influence on the club's culture and fanbase.
“He goes to games, he brings his friends to games, he talks to the players, and he does it in a way that’s very beneficial to us," he said.
Meanwhile, alongside Beckham, Inter Miami superstar Lionel Messi has had an ownership stake in the promised to him upon retirement if he wanted to buy into the club. However, Garber revealed that he's probably not someone the Argentine is thinking about at the moment, following the decision to suspend him one match for skipping the 2025 MLS All-Star Game.
"I don't think he wants to talk to me," Garber said.
WHAT ELSE WAS SAID?
Per FOS, soccer is the sport where celebrity-driven ownership is moving the fastest.
"Being at UBS, I’ve seen the value of these teams go,” said Adewale Ogunleye, Head of Sports and Entertainment, UBS. “We’re getting interest from clients that want to participate and want to own these teams. From a personal standpoint, me and my wife are priced out. … The PE firms have taken the valuations of these teams to a level that, if you own the team, you’re happy, but if you want to get on the ground level … it’s going to cost you a significant chunk of your money to get in now.”
Due to the rapid expansion of American soccer in the USL, NWSL and MLS, first-time owners are making plays to join franchises, before they too get priced out.
“It’s a smart business move, not only for them, but for the clubs that are being formed,” added Leslie Osborne Co-founder of NWSL side Bay FC. “If you have athletes who have succeeded at the highest level possible, that have seen both sides on and off the field, it’s only going to help both on the business side but also as an investment side. So there is more to come.”
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WHAT NEXT?
MLS action resumes next weekend, with Matchday 29 kicking off Saturday evening.
Who's hot, who's not? GOAL ranks all 30 teams across Major League Soccer
Lionel Messi returned for Inter Miami after missing two games, and some late magic helped them secure a huge three points – causing a shakeup in the Eastern Conference.
The Philadelphia Union fell on the road to RBNY, Columbus drew Toronto FC, and Nashville fell to NYCFC at Yankee Stadium. Now, with three games in hand, the trail FC Cincinnati by seven points, lining up a Supporters' Shield and Eastern Conference race that will go down to the wire.
In the West, Minnesota United FC pulled off a double over the Seattle Sounders for the first time in club history, while the Vancouver Whitecaps dropped points and San Diego FC found a late winner, meaning not much has shifted. The conference title is the expansion side's to lose at the moment.
With 29 Matchdays in the books and the postseason format now officially announced, who's leading the pack, and who's falling short of expectations? GOAL presents the latest 2025 MLS Power Rankings.
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August 12
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30D.C. United
Prior Ranking: 30
Result: Drew CF MTL 1-1
Ramifications: Eleven games without a win, and bottom of the East. There's nothing else to say, really. It continues to be mediocre at best in the nation's capital.
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29Los Angeles Galaxy
Prior Ranking: 29
Results: Lost to Inter Miami 3-1
Ramifications: They played a relatively good game, to be honest. Then Messi showed up, and well, yeah. All focus should be on the Leagues Cup quarterfinals this week, anyways. That's all they have left to fight for.
28St. Louis CITY SC
Prior Ranking: 28
Result: Lost to Chicago 3-2
Ramifications: Conceded two unanswered to end the match, which is a fair summary of how things have gone lately. Nowhere near good enough, and their postseason hopes all went up in smoke with the result.
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27Atlanta United
Prior Ranking: 27
Result: Lost to Colorado 3-1
Ramifications: ManagerRonny Deila has to be in hot water here. Sitting in 13th place in the East, and just two points clear of the bottom of the table in the conference. For the sheer amount of money spent by the club, 2025, by all accounts, has been disastrous.
Eberechi Eze has withdrawn from the Crystal Palace squad for the Conference League clash with Fredrickstad ahead of his transfer to Arsenal.
Eze not included in squad to face Fredrikstad
Attacker poised to complete Arsenal move
Gunners hijacked Spurs' proposed transfer
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WHAT HAPPENED?
Eze was expected to be included in Palace's squad for the club's first-ever match in Europe but boss Oliver Glasner has confirmed his absence. With his Arsenal medical expected in the next 48 hours, he has been whipped out of the squad.
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The match against Fredrikstad was meant to be his last game for Palace before joining Tottenham but, in high drama on Wednesday, the Gunners swooped in and hijacked the move following an injury to Kai Havertz. Spurs fans are incandescent that their biggest rivals have humiliated them when for weeks they were the only team chasing the England international.
DID YOU KNOW?
Eze is heading back to his boyhood club and Arsenal fans are already rolling out the red carpet. The Hornsey Road Tunnel, a stone's throw from the Emirates, has been decorated with a mural of Eze after he guaranteed himself cult hero status before he's even kicked a ball for the club.
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WHAT NEXT FOR EZE?
He'll need to pass his medical and sign on the dotted line before deleting Palace's fixture list from his phone and adding the Gunners' calendar. The match against Leeds on Saturday will likely come too soon, but Arsenal's next league fixture is against Liverpool on August 31.
AC Milan face a nightmare start as new signing Ardon Jashari suffered suspected serious injury after a clash with Santiago Gimenez in training.
Jashari collides heavily with Gimenez
Midfielder feared to face long layoff
Milan dealt major preseason setback
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WHAT HAPPENED?
AC Milan’s big summer signing, Jashari is feared to have suffered a serious injury in training after a collision with team-mate Gimenez. Early reports suggest a potential fibula problem, raising concerns of a lengthy layoff. The incident comes just days after the 23-year-old made his Serie A debut in the shock 2-1 defeat to Cremonese. Jashari had been expected to feature against Lecce this weekend, but manager Massimiliano Allegri confirmed his absence during a press conference, with Milan anxiously awaiting medical results.
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For Milan, this is a major setback, Jashari arrived from Club Brugge for €38 million (£33m/$43m), one of the most expensive Serie A transfers of the summer window. He was recruited to add steel and creativity in midfield, especially with the Rossoneri reshaping their squad around younger profiles. Losing him so early threatens to disrupt their midfield balance, already under scrutiny following the Cremonese defeat. Financially, it’s a blow too: a marquee signing sidelined so soon inevitably raises questions about depth, recruitment planning, and Milan’s ability to stay competitive domestically and in Europe. If his layoff is prolonged, Milan could be forced back into the market.
WHAT ALLEGRI SAID
Allegri confirmed Jashari’s knock in Thursday’s press conference, saying: "He's a strong player with great potential. Unfortunately, he got injured after colliding with Gimenez during a practice match and won't be available for the Lecce game. As for his role, I think he's more of a midfielder in front of the defence or in a two-man midfield."
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WHAT NEXT FOR MILAN?
If tests confirm a fibula fracture, Jashari could be sidelined for two months or longer, derailing his integration at Milan. In the short term, Allegri will likely reshuffle with Luka Modric, Youssouf Fofana and, potentially, Samuele Ricci stepping up. For Jashari, the focus shifts to recovery, but the timing is brutal, just as he was set to cement his starting role.