- Seattle Sounders have home-field advantage when they take on Botafogo
- Chelsea face MLS side Los Angeles FC in Atlanta
- Boca Juniors meet Benfica in Miami
Brazilian and Copa Libertadores champions Botafogo complete the first round of Group B matches in the early hours of Monday morning before Chelsea take on Los Angeles FC in Group D at 8pm and Boca Juniors face Benfica in Group C at 11pm.
Botafogo vs Seattle Sounders (Monday, 2am)
Botafogo would have qualified for the FIFA Club World Cup regardless of the revamp having won the Copa Libertadores last year and will be expecting to get the better of Seattle Sounders in their opening group game.
However, with Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain and Spanish heavyweights Atletico Madrid also in the group, progressing to the knockout stages looks to be a tall order.
Fogo have hardly made a blistering start to the season either as they lie in eighth place in the Serie A standings, albeit with a game in hand on some of the teams above them, but they look vulnerable to an upset.
Away form has been the Achilles heel for Botafogo at the start of the season, as they have won just one of their first six road games while losing three, but more worryingly is the fact they have scored just one goal in those six games.
Seattle Sounders have the rare luxury of home-field advantage in this tournament and are very tough to beat at Lumen Field, losing just one of 10 home games in 2025.
Brian Schmetzer's men will be keen to make their mark on their debut in the tournament and, while they will not be expected to hold PSG or Atletico in their other two games, they could nick a close one against the goal-shy Brazilians.
Score prediction: Botafogo 0-1 Seattle Sounders
Chelsea vs LAFC (Monday, 8pm)
Chelsea and Manchester City are the two Premier League teams taking part in the FIFA Club World Cup thanks to their Champions League victories in 2021 and 2023.
City make their first appearance on Wednesday while Chelsea are in action on Monday when they meet MLS side Los Angeles FC.
The Californian club won a play-off match against Mexican outfit America just two weeks ago to claim the 32nd and final place in the tournament after original qualifiers Leon were deemed ineligible to take part.
Chelsea ended the season strongly by finishing fourth in the Premier League and winning the UEFA Conference League and their only defeat in their last nine matches was at Newcastle when Nicolas Jackson was sent off in the first half.
Manager Enzo Maresca has some new recruits in his squad, led by striker Liam Delap, while Cole Palmer showed real star quality in the Conference League final and could be the man for the big occasion again.
Both teams have scored in nine of the American team's last 11 matches and Chelsea will have to avoid making another one of their slow starts after a break of almost three weeks. However, the Premier League side should come out comfortably on top even if they cannot keep a clean sheet.
Score prediction: Chelsea 3-1 LAFC
Boca Juniors vs Benfica (Monday, 11pm)
Benfica had only a Portuguese League Cup win to show for their efforts this season after finishing runners-up to Sporting in the league and cup, but they operated at a high level throughout the campaign and could prove too strong for Boca Juniors.
The Argentinian club may prove to be the weakest of the six South American qualifiers and they are a team in transition as coach Miguel Angel Russo has been in the job for only two weeks.
The veteran's arrival to start his third stint in charge of the club could spark an improvement after the poor run that led to the exit of his predecessor Fernando Gago, but the schedule has not been kind to him with mighty Bayern Munich coming up in their second match.
Benfica have a prolific goalscorer in Greek forward Vangelis Pavlidis, while Argentinian star Angel di Maria will be keen to impress before returning to play in his home nation for Rosario Central after this tournament.
Score prediction: Boca Juniors 0-2 Benfica