South American giants ignite Club World Cup

It is safe to say that the jury was out on the FIFA Club World Cup before the first ball started rolling in this month-long, 32-team football extravaganza. But on this side of the Atlantic Ocean at least the tournament has got off to a roaring start, with a pleasant amount of surprises along the way and plenty of drama for the South American continent, particularly Boca Juniors.

The Xeneize had the misfortune of being placed in the potential “group of death” at a moment where the club looked barely well enough to be off the respirator in the first place. Disaster in the Copa Libertadores, defeat in the Superclásico and Fernando Gago's subsequent resignation and a dispiriting loss to Independiente to end any Liga Profesional de Fútbol aspirations were hardly ideal preparations for facing Benfica and Bayern Munich within the space of four days stateside. Boca also had to deal with what feels like a now-obligatory dose of organisational chaos when defender Ayrton Costa saw his US Visa application rejected, finally getting the green light barely 48 hours before his club's Club World Cup debut.

But as often occurs in this wonderful mixed-up world, particularly when Boca are involved, they had a surprise in store. Benfica looked shell-shocked by a team that has been underwhelming for the lion's share of 2025 and found themselves two goals down within the first half hour, as Miguel Merentiel and Rodrigo Battaglia both converted. 

Ángel Di María did manage to cut the deficit before the break from the penalty spot, while Ander Herrera capped another miserable game in Boca colours by first limping off injured and then receiving a red card on the bench after tussling with the fourth official. 

Despite all that early momentum the Xeneize could not hold on, as another Argentine, this time Nicolás Otamendi, notched the equaliser, and any hopes of a late resurgence were sunk when Nicolás Figal's boneheaded tackle was correctly punished with another expulsion. Still, it was all very encouraging indeed for a team which had all been written off prior to the competition yet, for the first half at least, seemed to have a new urgency about them under Miguel Ángel Russo.

More than that, the game, witnessed by tens of thousands of Boca fans who took over Miami and the Hard Rock Stadium, appeared to breathe life into the Club World Cup itself, bringing the intensity, passion and occasional naked violence of the Libertadores to a whole new appreciative audience. It was just one of several meetings between South American and European teams in this first round of matches which were extremely closely fought, with Palmeiras and Fluminense giving FC Porto and Borussia Dortmund a run for their money. Usually bitter rivals, a type of shaky truce between Argentina and Brazil has been struck for the duration of June and July in search of a greater goal, taking the aristocrats of the Champions League, who each year cross the Atlantic Ocean with a shopping list of local talent to spirit away and then crow about their expensively obtained superiority, firmly down a peg or two. And any lingering doubts over the potential for upsets in the States were banished for good on Wednesday when the mighty Real Madrid were held by Al-Hilal.

How do River fit in, then? The Millionarios were one of the few teams to go about their business as expected in the opening round, taking down Urawa Reds of Japan 3-1 out in Seattle. Predictably, not quite as many River supporters were present in the Pacific Northwest as in Miami, practically a surrogate South American city, but they made themselves heard too as Facundo Colidio, Sebastián Driussi and Maxi Meza provided the goals. 

Next up are Monterrey, who made a statement themselves by holding Champions League finalists Inter to a 1-1 draw, in what promises to be one of the best matches yet in the Club World Cup. Boca, meanwhile, must go up against the pitiless meat-grinder of underdog hopes and dreams that is Bayern Munich, and will hope at the least to avoid a meltdown along the lines of Auckland City's 10-0 drubbing at the hands of the Bundesliga club. They will also be without the suspended duo of Herrera and Figal, which, on Sunday's evidence, might be a blessing in disguise.

So far, so good, then, for both Argentine teams, the entire South American contingent which is providing the noise and the passion across the United States and for this competition as a whole. Who will win the big prize in the end? Let's be honest, probably Madrid, or Bayern, or one of the other usual suspects. But this first week has at least shown that with all the odds stacked against them, the continent's finest can go up against top European teams with a real chance of getting a result – and if that is the only upshot of this monster of a tournament it would not be a bad thing at all.