What a thrilling match. Manchester City opened the scoring as early as the 9th minute, only to be caught up and then twice overtaken. The match, filled with intensity, went into extra time. That’s when Al Hilal showed their determination: an early goal in extra time, an equalizer by City, and finally, the decisive fourth goal that sent the Saudi club to the quarter-finals, leaving Manchester City behind with a season to forget.
⚔️ Clash coming up: Al Hilal vs Fluminense
Al Hilal will face Brazilian side Fluminense on Friday, July 4. Fluminense pulled off a major upset by eliminating Inter Milan, the most recent Champions League finalist. This quarter-final promises to be one of the highlights of the competition, and confirms the value of this new Club World Cup format.
🌍 A truly global World Cup
This 2025 edition is proof that European supremacy is no longer absolute. Among the eight quarter-finalists, three come from outside Europe:
- 🇧🇷 Fluminense (Brazil)
- 🇧🇷 Palmeiras (Brazil)
- 🇸🇦 Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)
And it’s not over yet: two Round of 16 matches are still to be played — Real Madrid vs Juventus and Borussia Dortmund vs Monterrey (Mexico). We may end up with four non-European clubs in the quarter-finals — a historic first. Football is clearly progressing on every continent.
đź“… Quarter-final schedule (updated)
Friday, July 4:
🇧🇷 Fluminense vs 🇸🇦 Al Hilal
🇧🇷 Palmeiras vs 🇬🇧 Chelsea
Saturday, July 5:
🇫🇷 Paris Saint-Germain vs 🇩🇪 Bayern Munich
Winner of Real Madrid vs Juventus will face winner of Dortmund vs Monterrey
Paris Saint-Germain, the current European champions, knocked out Inter Miami and will now face Bayern Munich, who defeated Flamengo. Chelsea, who beat Benfica, will face Palmeiras, the reigning Copa Libertadores champions, who overcame Botafogo.
🎥 Exclusive coverage coming soon
This expanded Club World Cup edition is proving to be increasingly spectacular, full of surprises and upsets. Viewership is steadily improving, reflecting growing global interest in a truly international tournament.
📌 Global Sport & Culture will keep bringing you updates. Don’t miss our exclusive report on the Chelsea vs Palmeiras quarter-final, which I will personally cover for all our football-loving readers and followers.
