Manchester City entered the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup as defending champions, having clinched the title in 2023 with a 4-0 victory over Fluminense in Saudi Arabia. The revamped 2025 tournament, hosted across 12 venues in the United States from June 14 to July 13, marked a new era for the competition, expanding to 32 teams and adopting a format akin to the FIFA World Cup. City, under the guidance of manager Pep Guardiola, approached the tournament with high expectations, aiming to reclaim their global crown. However, despite a dominant group stage, their journey ended abruptly in the round of 16. Here’s a detailed look at their 2025 Club World Cup campaign.
Group Stage Dominance
Drawn in Group G alongside Moroccan side Wydad AC, UAE’s Al Ain, and Italian giants Juventus, Manchester City showcased their attacking prowess and squad depth, finishing atop the group with a perfect record. Their campaign began on June 18 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, where they defeated Wydad AC 2-0. Phil Foden opened the scoring just two minutes into the match, followed by a goal from Jeremy Doku before halftime. Despite a late red card to Rico Lewis, City secured a comfortable victory, setting the tone for their group stage performance.
On June 22, City faced Al Ain at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, delivering a resounding 6-0 thrashing. Ilkay Gundogan led the charge with a brace, while Claudio Echeverri, Erling Haaland, Oscar Bobb, and debutant Rayan Cherki also found the net. The match highlighted City’s ruthless attacking form, with new signings like Echeverri and Rayan Ait-Nouri impressing in their first starts.
The group stage concluded on June 26 in Orlando’s Camping World Stadium, where City faced Juventus in a crucial match to determine the group winner. The 5-2 victory was a statement of intent, with Erling Haaland scoring his 300th career goal and Jeremy Doku, Phil Foden, Savinho, and an own goal sealing the win. Despite a brief setback when Teun Koopmeiners equalized for Juventus after a mistake by goalkeeper Ederson, City’s relentless attack overwhelmed the Serie A side. This performance ensured City topped Group G with a perfect nine points, a +11 goal difference, and the highest expected goals (xG) difference (+7.8) in the group stage, leading their matches for 89% of the time.
Haaland bags City’s third 👌 the machine just doesn’t stop 🤖
— DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) June 26, 2025
Watch the @FIFACWC | June 14 - July 13 | Every Game | Free | https://t.co/i0K4eUtwwb | #FIFACWC #TakeItToTheWorld #JUVMCI pic.twitter.com/yGJ57tUGbZ
City’s group stage success was underpinned by strategic squad changes. Following a trophyless 2024-25 domestic season—their first without a major trophy in eight years—Guardiola overhauled the squad, spending over £100 million on new signings, including Ait-Nouri (£31m from Wolves), Tijjani Reijnders (£43m from AC Milan), and Cherki (£30.45m from Lyon). The return of Ballon d’Or winner Rodri from a serious knee injury further bolstered the squad, with his presence described as the “glue” holding the team together.
Round of 16 Heartbreak
As Group G winners, Manchester City advanced to the round of 16, facing Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal, the runners-up of Group H, on July 1 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando. Despite their group stage dominance, City were stunned in a thrilling 4-3 defeat after extra time. The match, played at 9 p.m. ET, saw Al-Hilal capitalize on their opportunities, with Sergej Milinkovic-Savic later highlighting the result as a statement for Saudi Arabian football. City’s elimination was a significant upset, ending their hopes of defending the title and marking an unexpected conclusion to their campaign.
