NFL
By Keith Richards
We’re back! Last week, we covered Group A of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. Accordingly, we move on to Group B. Group B is the dreaded Group of Death in this FIFA Club World Cup installation. Every major tournament has one, and every team seeks to avoid being in it. Unfortunately, four teams drew the short straw, including an MLS club.
As always, we will examine the club history of each club. Then, we discuss how each club is currently performing in their respective domestic leagues. Finally, we will pick which two teams will advance to the Knockout Stage. Enough with small talk! Let’s discuss Group B, the Group of Death!
Paris Saint-Germain – Ligue 1 (France)
When it comes to Ligue 1 in France, PSG is king. Since the league was founded in 1930 (it has been Ligue 1 since 2002), no team has been more dominant than Paris Saint-Germain. Since its founding in 1970, PSG has won 13 Ligue 1 championships. While I think it’s close, PSG is the best squad in Group B, which says a lot. Saying you’re the best group in the Group of Death is a massive flex!
Paris Saint-Germain, however, has not always been the powerhouse of Ligue 1. It would take over ten seasons in Ligue before PSG won its first title, in the 1985-86 season. Furthermore, it would be almost another ten seasons before the club won its next championship, the 1993-94 season. Finally, after one last drought of nearly ten seasons without winning a title, Paris Saint-Germain has not looked back.
In the past 13 seasons, Ligue 1 has had three champions. Monaco won the title in the 2016-17 season, and Lille did so in the 2020-21 season. Only one team has won the other 11 – Paris Saint-Germain. PSG has had streaks of four, three, and four consecutive seasons of Ligue 1 titles. Their current streak technically does not hit four for a little over a week. As of today, though, PSG has a 19-point lead on the Ligue 1 table. Consequently, with so few matches left, Paris Saint-Germain have been declared champions.
Moreover, PSG can add one more trophy before the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup starts. On May 31st, PSG takes on Inter Milan for the UEFA Champions League title. So, when the tournament kicks off in mid-June, Paris Saint-Germain can make a significant claim on being the best of Group B by winning one of the most prestigious titles in all of football.
While Ligue 1 is only the sixth-best league in UEFA, according to IFFHS, it’s still the eighth-best league in the world. Consequently, Paris Saint-Germain’s top ten IFFHS league dominance is good enough for IFFHS to rank them as tied for the sixth-best club in the world. Furthermore, three of the four teams in Group B are ranked in the top 15 of the IFFHS club rankings. As the lone French team in the top 25 of the IFFHS rankings, Paris Saint-Germain looks to make a noise in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. A strong performance in the Group of Death would go a long way.
Atlético de Madrid – La Liga (Spain)
Atlético de Madrid comes into Group B as the 11th-ranked club in the world, according to IFFHS. However, if Atlético Madrid played anywhere, they’d likely have more titles and a higher ranking. Unfortunately for Atlético de Madrid, they play in the second-best league in the world against 1st and 2nd best clubs – Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, respectively. Consequently, their opportunities to win championships are both extremely tough and limited.
While Atlético Madrid has won the third-best 11 La Liga titles in its club’s history, it still pales in comparison to Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, which have won 36 and 27 titles, respectively. Competing with that is hard, and it’s nothing to be ashamed of. Furthermore, since the 2000-01 season, only two clubs have briefly broken the Real and Barcelona stranglehold on La Liga.
Atlético de Madrid has topped the teams with titles in the 2013-14 and 2020-21 seasons. Valencia is the other club to top them with titles in the 2001-02 and 2003-04 seasons. Outside of the title win in the 2020-21 season, Atlético Madrid has finished no worse than third in La Liga. So, if there is one team with much to prove in Group B, it’s them.
As of today, Atlético de Madrid is third in La Liga, with less than two weeks left in the season. So, they will continue to maintain a consistent form. Coming into Group B next month, they are the second-best club. However, Botafogo is nipping at their heels. Atlético Madrid certainly has the quality to be one of the teams that make it to the Knockout Stage, but it will not be easy.
Imagine if they win the Group of Death? There’s no such thing as a moral victory in sports, but Atlético de Madrid winning Group B would be as close as possible. Winning Group B would put them in a prime position to advance even further into the tournament. That would be a significant win for La Liga. Putting three clubs in the Knockout Stage is not easy. Atlético will be playing for themselves and the pride of their league. They will be dangerous because of it.
Botafogo de Futebol – Brazilian Série A
Ok, we may have misspoken on one matter. We said Atlético de Madrid has the most to prove in Group B. We take that back. Botafogo has the most to prove of the three powerhouses in the Group of Death. While the recent South American darling is the defending Brazilian Série A champion, they do not have the championship pedigree of Paris Saint-Germain or Atlético de Madrid.
PSG and Atlético Madrid have 13 and 11 titles, respectively. Botafogo has three. That’s not a typo. Botafogo has spent 60 seasons in Brazilian top division football, but it has only three championships to show for it. Furthermore, the club’s recent spell in Brazilian Série A has not been long. Botafogo was relegated to Brazilian Série B at the end of the 2020-21 season.
It was the third time the club had been relegated to the second division of Brazilian football in its history. However, their relegation would be brief. Botafogo would only spend one season in Brazilian Série B and was promoted back to Brazilian Série A for the 2022 season. Just two seasons later, they would win their third title.
Furthermore, it had been almost 30 years since their last title before Botafogo won the Brazilian Série A title in 2024. Before that, they had not won a title since 1995. Let’s compare that to some of the other top teams of Brazilian Série A since 1995:
- Palmeiras – Four titles
- Santos – Two titles
- Corinthians – Six titles
- Flamengo – Three titles
- São Paulo – Three titles
Hence, Botafogo must prove that they belong. Eight matches into the 2025-26 Brazilian Série A season, Botafogo is in a lackluster ninth place. They’ve only won two of their last five matches. Consequently, coming into Group B, Botafogo must have two things in mind. First, it will be nice to get a break from Brazilian Série A. It hasn’t been an ideal start for their championship defense. Second, they must prove that their rank of 13th is justified. The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup could be very beneficial for Botafogo.
Seattle Sounders FC – Major League Soccer (United States)
While Seattle has traditionally been one of the better clubs in MLS, it’s hard to stack them up against the recent success of the other clubs in Group B. Sounders FC have been in MLS since 2009, 16 of the league’s 30 seasons. Furthermore, Seattle is one of only seven clubs in the league to win multiple titles.
Sounders FC won its first title in 2016 when it defeated Toronto FC. Then, Seattle won its second title in 2019 when it defeated Toronto FC again. Seattle Sounders FC made it to the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup through its 2022 CONCACAF Champions Cup title. Additionally, Seattle won the MLS Supporters’ Shield in 2014 and is a four-time U.S. Open Cup champion (2009, 2010, 2011, and 2014).
Nevertheless, even without the titles, Seattle has been one of the most consistent MLS clubs. Since 2016, the Seattle Sounders have been the runner-up in the MLS Cup twice (2017 and 2020). Additionally, they reached the quarterfinals of the MLS Cup Playoffs two times (2018 and 2023) and the semifinals once. Regarding MLS teams, Seattle is one of the better ones.
Unfortunately, the good feelings may end there. IFFHS has Seattle Sounders FC as the 357th-best club in the world. As a reminder, Paris Saint-Germain is 6th, Atlético de Madrid is 11th, and Botafogo is 13th. There is a wide margin between Seattle and the other three clubs in the Group of Death.
However, I wouldn’t completely dismiss Seattle. They currently sit fifth in the Western Conference in MLS, which is highly competitive this season. Sounders FC has a habit of starting slow in the season and then ramping up toward the end of the season. The MLS season is currently a third of the way through. I wouldn’t be surprised if they surprised one of these top teams. Still, I wouldn’t put money on them making it out of Group B.
The Prediction
I think Group B has the potential to be the most competitive at the 2025 FIFA World Cup. It’s not called the Group of Death for no reason. When the dust settles, I expect PSG and Atlético de Madrid to move on to the Knockout Stage. I’m going to make a bold prediction as well. Seattle will beat Botafogo. Unfortunately, it won’t increase their odds of moving on. Instead, it will be detrimental to the odds of Botafogo moving on. Welcome to the Group of Death.
Who do you think will make it out of the group? Let us know!
