NFL
By Keith Richards
We’re just eight days away from the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup! Additionally, we’re halfway through our preview of the FIFA CWC groups. Today, we’ll keep things moving as we discuss Group E. Group E is another very competitive group. There are three clubs with rich histories and championship mentalities. Consequently, getting out of the group will not be easy.
As always, we will examine each club’s history, discuss how each currently performs in its respective domestic leagues, and pick which two teams will advance to the Knockout Stage. So, let’s get right to it!
CA River Plate – Primera División (Argentina)
CA River Plate comes to Group E from Argentina’s Primera División. River Plate is the second team out of the Primera División, joining their fierce rival, CA Boca Juniors. CA River Plate was founded in 1901 and has won many titles. Accordingly, its success has been so great that it was ranked the ninth-best FIFA Club of the Century in 2000.
While Boca Juniors is a very successful club with 35 Primera División titles, River Plate still tops them. CA River Plate has the most Primera División titles, with 38, but their success doesn’t end there. In addition, River Plate is the best-performing club of all time in the Copa Libertadores. Regarding Copa Libertadores championships, Independiente (7), Boca Juniors (6), and Peñarol (5) have more.
However, on the historical table of the Copa Libertadores, CA River Plate reigns supremely. As of 2023, River Plate leads the all-time Copa Libertadores table with 717 points. Additionally, CA River Plate has the second-most matches played (408), the most wins (203), and the second-most draws (108) in the competition’s history. While they have not won the Copa Libertadores since 2018, they won the runner-up spot the following year.
Since then, Brazilian clubs have begun to emerge as the recent South American powerhouses. Still, CA River Plate has performed so well in the past in the Copa Libertadores that they still hold a healthy lead over the other clubs. While their championship pace in the Primera División has been over the past decade, it’s still respectable.
CA River Plate has won the Primera División title twice in the past ten seasons and has been the runner-up for the title two times. Conversely, their rivals (Boca Juniors) have won the Primera División title five times over the past ten seasons. That continues to close the gap in River Plate’s lead for all-time titles.
Today, CA River Plate is second in Group B of the Primera División table with 31 points. IFFHS ranks them 35th, an eight-spot drop from the previous rankings. While River Plate enters Group E as the second-best club (according to IFFHS rankings), they are much higher than the third and fourth-best clubs. A deep run in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup would prove that CA River Plate is still a force to be reckoned with. Also, it will boost Argentina’s South American power scale, which the Brazilian clubs are dominating.
Urawa Red Diamonds – J1 League (Japan)
The Urawa Red Diamonds, also known as the Reds, are one of the most successful Japanese clubs today. However, compared to the other clubs of Group E, Urawa is a tuna in shark-infested waters. Yet, while sharks do eat tuna, tuna are not afraid to attack sharks when needed. Historical predators in Group E surround the Urawa Reds, but it doesn’t mean they will be an easy catch.
Per success in their domestic league, the Urawa Red Diamonds might be the least successful club in the 2025 FIFA World Cup. Urawa joined the J1 League in 1993. In the 31 seasons they have been in J1, the Reds only have one title, which they won in 2006. However, the Urawa Reds are like a modern-day Arsenal of the English Premier League. While Urawa only has one title, they have been the runner-up five times, which ties them for the most all-time in the J1 League.
So, what makes the Reds one of the most successful Japanese clubs despite the lack of championships in the top-flight division? The Emperor’s Cup. The Emperor’s Cup includes every club in the Japan Football Association. The Urawa Red Diamonds have won the Emperor’s Cup eight times, the second-most in the competition’s history.
Additionally, Urawa is historically one of the best clubs in the history of the AFC Champions League Elite. The Reds are three-time AFC Champions League Elite winners, which ties them for the second-most all-time. Their most recent title was in 2022, and they were the runners-up for the championship in 2019. So, while the Red Diamonds struggle to win their domestic league, they perform well in domestic and international competitions.
Still, the Urawa Red Diamonds are the 482nd-best club in the world according to the IFFHS rankings. It’s a considerable jump. In the previous rankings, they were the 616th-best club. However, have they improved enough to make a splash at the CWC? Or are they doomed to be the tuna that the sharks can devour?
CF Monterrey – Liga MX (Mexico)
CF Monterrey comes into Group E as a CONCACAF powerhouse. Throughout its history, Monterrey has won a healthy blend of domestic league titles, domestic cups, and international titles. Most recently, in 2020, CF Monterrey became the second Mexican club to complete the continental treble. That year, they won the Liga MX, Copa MX, and CONCACAF Champions Cup titles.
Monterrey’s five Liga MX titles are the tenth-most all-time. Before winning their last domestic league title in 2019, CF Monterrey won back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010. Their seven times as runners-up to the Liga MX titles put them in the top five most in history. Monterrey is 7th in the Liga MX Clausura table, almost ten points behind league-leading Toluca.
Consequently, they see much success in Liga MX this season. While CF Monterrey did not see much success in the 2025 CONCACAF Champions Cup, they have historically been one of the best clubs. Only Cruz Azul (7), Club América (7), and Pachuca (6) have won more CONCACAF Champions Cup titles than the five-time winners. Their most recent title came back in 2021, but the club won three consecutive titles in 2010-11, 2011-12, and 2012-13.
Before Copa MX was abolished in 2020, CF Monterrey won three of those titles, including the last ever. Additionally, they were the runners-up three times, among the best in the competition’s history. Monterrey has also had success in the FIFA Club World Cup. In the 2019 edition, they reached the semi-finals before losing to Liverpool, the eventual winner of that FIFA CWC. CF Monterrey beat Al Hilal to take third place.
IFFHS ranks Monterrey as the 256th-best club in the world heading into the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. They fell 47 spots from the previous IFFHS rankings, likely due to their lack of recent success. While their situation in Group E is not as dire as Urawa’s, it’s a tough group for the Mexican club. River Plate will be tough to top, as well as the final club, which we’ll discuss next.
FC Internazionale Milano – Serie A (Italy)
FC Internazionale Milano, better known as Inter Milan, is not just the biggest club in Group E; it’s the biggest club we’ve covered out of all the groups so far. Historically, we can argue that Bayern Munich, PSG, or Benfica are bigger. However, we cannot say that either of those clubs has been bigger than Inter over the past year.
Still, historically, Inter Milan is one of the best. Only one club (Juventus – 36) has more Serie A titles than the 20 titles that Inter has all-time. Their success extends to domestic cups as well. In addition to their 20 domestic league titles, Inter Milan has nine Coppa Italia titles (second-most all-time) and eight Supercoppa Italiana titles (tied for second-most all-time). Not coincidentally, Juventus has the most Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana titles.
Inter Milan’s return to prominence in Serie A has been recent. In the early 2000s, Inter Milan won five consecutive titles (2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09, and 2009-10). However, their success in Serie A was limited after that. Before winning the Serie A title again in the 2020-21 season, Inter Milan had only finished twice in second or third place.
However, since then, Inter has had more consistent, high finishes. In 2021-22, they were the runners-up in Serie A. The following season, they finished third. The year after that, they won the title once more. Finally, Inter Milan was second behind Napoli in this most recent season (2024-25). Soon after, Inter would be the bridesmaid once more.
After an impressive run in the UEFA Champions League competition, Inter Milan fell flat against PSG in the final. When we say fell flat, it’s a polite way of saying they got embarrassed. It was an old-fashioned spanking! Unfortunately for Group E, that likely means Inter Milan is frustrated and hungry to avenge their shame. IFFHS ranks Inter Milan as the 3rd-best club heading into the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. Real Madrid (1st) will likely make a deep run, and FC Barcelona (2nd) is not in the tournament.
Inter Milan has to be one of the favorites to win it all. If they win the 2025 FIFA World Cup, it’s not impossible to think that IFFHS will rank them as the best club in the world in their next rankings. Of course, a few other teams will have a say, but the chances of Inter Milan winning it all are high.
The Prediction
This group has the potential to be entertaining. While I think it will be competitive, there are only two clubs with a genuine chance of advancing here: Inter Milan and River Plate. Urawa will give a club or two scary moments. Monterrey may even win a match. Still, it’s Inter and River Plate moving on.
Who do you think will make it out of the group? Let us know!
