The first round of the 2025 club World Cup delivered its verdict. And if it needed proof that luck does not always smile at favorites, Paris Saint-Germain is the price. By falling from the “bad” side of the painting, the Parisian club exposes a series of potentially unbearable posters.
Half an infernal table for PSG
From Sunday (6 p.m.), PSG will find Lionel Messi and Inter Miami, for a duel loaded with symbols. But this is only the beginning: in the event of qualification, Bayern Munich or Flamengo would stand on its way in the quarter-finals, before a possible semi-final against Real Madrid, which dominated Salzburg 3-0 that night. And if Paris dreams of a world title, he could finish with a last fight against Manchester City in the final.
Meanwhile, the left part of the table seems much more open. Benfica, Chelsea, Palmeiras, Botafogo … None of the European giants is there, with the notable exception of Manchester City, qualified with authority after a 5-2 against Juve. For the Citizens, the path to the final seems much less strewn with pitfalls.
The quest for a world title … at a high price
With such a configuration, PSG will not be entitled to any respite. After a frustrating group phase marked by a defeat against Botafogo, Luis Enrique's men will have to reinvent themselves and raise their level very quickly. Each round is a potential trap and each poster from a quarter of a European classic.
But it is perhaps in adversity that PSG will write its most beautiful epic. Shaken from the eighths, he will have to shine in the greatest theaters of this club World Cup. Provided you chain Messi, Bayern, Real then City … The dream is still far away. The course is already a ordeal.
