Overview
Boca juniors and Benfica started their FIFA Club World Cup campaign with a match that could play a key role in deciding which team will continue in Group C. Bayern Munich with superior strength will be the brightest candidate in this group.
Boca and Benfica will meet for the first time in history. This is also the first time an Argentine team has faced Portugal at the FIFA Club World Cup, in any format.
Traditionally, Argentine teams have struggled against European opponents in previous tournaments of this tournament. In the old format, there were four meetings between teams from each continent - all of which ended in defeats for South American clubs.
Specifically, AC Milan 4-2 Boca juniors in 2007, Barcelona 2-1 Estudiantes in 2009, Real Madrid 2-0 San Lorenzo in 2014, Barcelona 3-0 River Plate in 2015.
Benfica to the US after a chaotic domestic campaign. Under coach Bruno Lage, they won the Portuguese League Cup in the 2024-2025 season, but once again finished second behind Sporting CP in the Primeira Liga - the second consecutive season they finished in second place.
Their FIFA Club World Cup attendance has been rewarded by impressive performances in Europe in the last four seasons. And Benfica's main attacking threat in this tournament will be Vangelis Pavlidis.
After a slow start in Portugal when moving from AZ, the Greek striker has found his rhythm in the second half of the season. He ended the campaign with 19 goals and 7 assists in the tournament. Only Sporting's Viktor Gyokeres - the most sought-after striker in Portugal - has been involved in more goals than Pavlidis (46).
For Boca juniors, they will be cheered on by their strong performance at Torneo Apertura 2025. They are second in Group A with 33 points, narrowly surpassed by Argentinos Juniors in goal difference.
Boca are the first team to reach 30 points and have won 10, with a series of 6 consecutive wins from February to March creating a foundation for their success.
Their most outstanding player in attack is Miguel Merentiel. The Uruguayan striker has scored 6 goals and had 3 assists, making him one of the top strikers in the tournament. Only three players in the entire tournament have been involved in more goals than Merentiel.
Predicting the result
Benfica are favourites in this match, with a 60.3% chance of winning. The number of the Argentine team is much lower with only 18.1%.
Benfica is also the team that is rated higher to advance to the round of 16, after Bayern. The Bavarians have a 93.3% chance of advancing, while Benfica are behind with 82.1%. Boca has a 24.5% chance, better than the less-known Auckland City (0.07%).
Score prediction: Boca juniors 1-3 Benfica
The match between Boca juniors and Benfica takes place at 5:00 a.m. on June 17 (Vietnam time).
