Club World Cup 2023 prediction, odds, betting tips, best bets: Can anyone stop Man City at FIFA tournament?
The annual FIFA Club World Cup takes place in mid-December to pit the six most recent continental champions from around the world against one another in a global tournament.
Title winners from each FIFA confederation will convene in Saudi Arabia, with a club from the host nation — this year, defending Saudi Pro League winners Al Ittihad — joining the six continental champions in a seven-team knockout competition.
European entrants have, as you'd imagine, dominated the competition, but this year's participant Manchester City are in the midst of a difficult run of form and could be caught. They will slot into the semifinals, where they'll meet either Liga MX side Club Leon or Japanese club Urawa Red Diamonds, perhaps without the injured Erling Haaland to help them.
Should City win that, they would advance to the final against Brazilian side Fluminense, or another challenger if the Copa Libertadores winners are themselves upset.
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FIFA Club World Cup 2023 odds
Manchester City, as the European qualifier to the competition via their UEFA Champions League victory, are massive favorites to win the Club World Cup.
Behind them, as expected, are the South American qualifiers Fluminense, as the Brazilian club secured victory in the most recent CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores.
The last time a European club failed to win the Club World Cup was in 2012 when Brazilian side Corinthians lifted the trophy with a shock 1-0 victory over Chelsea. No club outside either Europe or South America has ever won the competition, leading to massive futures for all other 2023 participants.
Who will win 2023 Club World Cup?
- Pick: Man City to win 2023 Club World Cup title
- Odds: -350 (BetMGM)
Manchester City are in a rough run of form right now, and they will be challenged hard whoever they face in their semifinal and potential final. Additionally, the possible injury absence of Erling Haaland looms large as they travel east for this competition.
Usually, in this circumstance, there would be significant value on backing the CONMEBOL challenger, who rarely goes down meekly in this competition despite Europe's dominance of the trophy case. Indeed, each of the past four finals have finished with a one- or two-goal margin, with three one-goal matches in a row before last year's 5-3 victory by Real Madrid over Al Hilal.
However, neither the CONCACAF nor CONMEBOL participants are of the highest quality the continent has to offer, and both are in the midst of their offseason. Fluminense wrapped up their lengthy Brazilian Serie A season by dropping each of their final two fixtures to the league's top two sides Palmeiras and Gremio, finishing seventh in the table.
Club Leon, meanwhile, were a mid-table side in Liga MX, while Japan's Urawa Red Diamonds recently wrapped up their J1 League campaign with one win in their last four to finish fourth. With no other challengers looking particularly in form or ripe for an upset, Man City should prevail despite their struggles of late.
FIFA Club World Cup 2023 best bets, picks
- Pick: Urawa Red Diamonds to qualify over Club Leon
- Odds: +135 (BetMGM)
While the Liga MX club is heavily favored to advance through that second-round matchup, Club Leon have been horrendous away from home this season and haven't played a competitive match since early November, going over a month since their season concluded.
The Club World Cup is positioned awkwardly in the calendar for CONCACAF qualifiers, happening long enough at the end of their season to require significant training to maintain match fitness, but not close enough to next season for the club to simply convene their preseason a bit early.
As a result, the CONCACAF participant has disappointed in recent years, with the North American club falling in their first match in each of the past two tournaments. Against a quality Red Diamonds side, they're likely to disappoint once again, especially given they proved utterly horrid on the road all year in Liga MX play.
This section will be updated with more picks as the competition progresses and odds become available for later matches.
FIFA Club World Cup 2023 fixtures, schedule
FIFA is broadcasting the entirety of the 2023 Club World Cup on its streaming service FIFA+ in most territories, including the United States.
