As the Club World Cup dazzles football fans with a bold new era, it’s worth reflecting on how far the competition has come over the last 25 years.
The 2025 edition marks a historic shift. 32 teams from six different confederations are involved in battles on the global stage in a revamped format that mirrors the traditional style of the World Cup.
Gone are the winter dates and annual tournaments—this is now a summer spectacle, held every four years, aiming to elevate its status within the football calendar.
It also opens a new era for Club World Cup betting as more matches and more teams means more opportunities and unpredictability.
Here’s a look back at five of the greatest Club World Cup finals since the tournament’s inception in 2000.
2007: AC Milan 4-2 Boca Juniors
In a clash that European elegance against South American flair, AC Milan secured their first Club World Cup title by overpowering Argentine giants Boca Juniors.
Brazilian Kaka was imperious, setting up two goals and scoring one himself, as Milan ran out 4-2 winners in a thriller in Japan.
The Serie A side had lost the 2003 Intercontinental Cup on penalties to the same opponents at the same ground, so this was seen as redemption for Carlo Ancelotti’s men.
2010: Inter Milan 3-0 TP Mazembe
TP Mazembe became the first African club to the reach the final in 2010, shocking Brazilian outfit Internacional in the semis.
However, the dream of causing another upset against Inter Milan ended before it even really got started—as Rafa Benetez’s side in Abu Dhabi.
Goran Pandev and Samuel Eto’o put the tie out of Mazembe’s reach within the first 20 minutes, and Jonathan Biabiany’s late strike sealed a routine win.
2011: Barcelona 4-0 Santos
Pep Guardiola’s swashbuckling Barcelona produced one of the most complete performances in Club World Cup history when thrashing Santos in 2011.
Lionel Messi treated the 68,000 spectators at the International Stadium in Yokohama to a masterclass, scoring twice either side of goals from Xavi and Cesc Fabregas.
Beyond the one-sided result, it was the first chance Barca fans got to catch a glimpse of their future star Neymar—who albeit was overshadowed by the Catalan brilliance.
2022: Real Madrid 5-3 Al-Hilal
Real Madrid won the Club World Cup for a fifth time in eight years when fending off Al-Hilal in an eight-goal thriller at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Morocco.
Vinicius Junior and Federico Valverde were the stars of the show, netting twice each while Karim Benzema also got on the scoresheet.
But Al-Hilal, the first Saudi Arabian team to reach the final, wouldn’t go down without a fight—scoring three goals of their own through Moussa Marega and a Luciano Vietto double.
2023: Manchester City 4-0 Fluminense
Fresh off their historic treble, Manchester City capped off a dream year with a clinical dismantling of Fluminense in Jeddah.
Guardiola’s side controlled the game from the first whistle, with Julian Alvarez finding the back of the net in the opening minute.
A Nino own-goal doubled Man City’s lead in the first half, before Phil Foden and another Alvarez goal sealed a 4-0 win.