Benfica clinch first spot of the group after 1-0 victory vs Bayern Munich at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025
Benfica sealed first place in Group C of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 with a 1-0 win over Bayern Munich, who advanced in second. Boca Juniors and Auckland City were eliminated from the tournament.
Benfica secured top honors in Group C at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 after a disciplined 1-0 victory over Bayern Munich in the final group stage match. With the win, the Portuguese side finished ahead of the German giants, who claimed second place in the group. BocaJuniors and Auckland City saw their campaigns come to an end.
Bayern Munich, who had already qualified, opted to rest several key players and fielded a heavily rotated squad. Benfica capitalized on the opportunity, striking in the first half through Norwegian forward Andreas Schjelderup, who delivered what would be the decisive goal.
In the second half, Bayern head coach Vincent Kompany turned to his regular starters, bringing on the likes of Harry Kane, Michael Olise, and Joshua Kimmich in an attempt to turn the tide. However, the changes weren’t enough to break through Benfica’s resilient defense.
With this result, Benfica will now face either Chelsea or Espérance de Tunis in the Round of 16 on Saturday, June 28. Meanwhile, Bayern Munich will prepare to take on Flamengo on Sunday, June 29, in what promises to be a blockbuster knockout-stage matchup.
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With this result, Bayern Munich finished second in the group, while Benfica did it in first place, and you lived every moment of this game here.
Thanks for staying with us, see you next time!
END OF THE GAME! (1-0)
Benfica defeated Bayern Munich 1-0 to claim the first place in Group C.
86'- Two substitutions for Benfica (1-0)
Angel Di Maira and Vangelis Pavlidis leave the field to make way for Tiago Gouvela and Joao Rego.
77'- Substitution for Benfica (1-0)
Renato Sanches leaves the field to make way for Adrian Bajrami.
74'- What a save by Trubin! (1-0)
After a powerful shot by Pavlovic from inside the box, Turbin stopped Bayern for scoring the equalizer!
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68'- Bayern Munich edging closer to equalizer (1-0)
The German side continues to press forward in search of the equalizer and is getting closer with each attack.
62'- Substitution for Bayern Munich (1-0)
Sacha Boey leaves the field to make way for Konrad Laimer.
61'- Kimmich scores but it was disallowed (1-0)
Joshua Kimmich scored a great goal from outisde the box, but offside from Harry Kane was given.
61' Kimmich finds the net… but it won’t count! ❌⚽️
Dayot Upamecano leaves the field to make way for Jonathan Tah.
54'- Two changes for Benfica (1-0)
Orkun Kökçü and Kerem Aktürkoğlu enter the field to replace Gianluca Prestianni and Andreas Schjelderup.
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50'- Bayern miss a huge chance! (1-0)
First, Sané missed a golden opportunity in a one-on-one with the goalkeeper. Moments later, Thomas Müller followed up with a shot, but it went straight into the keeper’s hands.
Nicolas Otamendi received the second yellow card of the game.
45'- Three substitutions for Bayern Munich (1-0)
Harry Kane, Michael Olise and Joshua Kimmich enter the game to replace Joao Palinha, Tom Bischof and Serge Gnabry.
Second half underway! (1-0)
The game is on again!
HALFTIME! (1-0)
The game goes to halftime with Benfica leading the scoreboard 1-0 over Bayern Munich.
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43'- Sane miss a big chance for Bayern! (1-0)
After a great play by Gnabry, Sane shot from inside the box but the ball went over the crossbar.
Group C standings update
With the current scoreline, Benfica would qualify in first place while Bayern Munich would advance as the second-placed team — despite Boca Juniors currently leading 1-0 against Auckland City.
30'- Cooling break (1-0)
The French refereee temporarily stops the match to allow players from both teams to cool off.
28'- Bayern Munich push for the equalizer (1-0)
The Germans are pressing forward in search of the equalizer, but Benfica remain solid at the back, preventing any real danger from developing.
18'- First yellow card of the game (1-0)
Renato Sanches of Benfica receives the first yellow card of the game.
19' Yellow for Renato Sanches! And he’s not happy about it. 🟨
8'- Di Maria with the first shot of th game! (0-0)
Angel Di Maria shot from outside the box but Manuel Neuer sent it to the corner kick.
GAME ON!
Benfica and Bayern Munich are playing on Matchday 3 of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025!
Both teams are doing warm-up activities!
Benfica and Bayern Munich are doing warm-up activities on the field. The game will begin at the Bank of America Stadium in a few minutes!
Why is Harry Kane not starting for Bayern Munich?
Harry Kane won't start against Benfica today because head coach Vincent Kompany decided to give the English striker a much-needed rest, after playing the full 90 minutes against Boca Juniors, where he scored one goal.
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Benfica's lineup confirmed!
This will be Benfica's starting XI: Anatoliy Trubin; Fredrik Aursnes, António Silva, Nicolas Otamendi, Samuel Dahl; Renato Sanches, Leandro Barreiro; Andreas Schjelderup, Gianluca Prestianni, Ángel Di María; Vangelis Pavlidis.
This will be Bayern Munich's starting lineup: Manuel Neuer; Sacha Boey, Josip Stanišić, Dayot Upamecano, Raphael Guerreiro; João Palhinha, Aleksandar Pavlović; Leroy Sané, Serge Gnabry, Tom Bischof; Thomas Müller.
What result do Benfica need to qualify for round of 16?
A win or a draw against Bayern Munich would be enough to secure a place in the next round for the Portuguese side. However, even with a loss, Benfica could still qualify—provided Boca Juniors do not record a big win over AucklandCity.
The only scenario in which Benfica would be eliminated is if Boca Juniors win and Benfica lose, and the Argentine club manages to overturn the goal difference. At the moment, Boca Juniors sit at -1 in goal differential, while Benfica holds a much stronger +6.
Today’s referee
French official FrançoisLetexier has been appointed to oversee the high-stakes FIFA Club World Cup 2025 group stage showdown between Benfica and Bayern Munich.
Letexier began officiating international matches in 2017 and has since built an impressive résumé on the European stage. He refereed the 2021 UEFA Europa League Final and the 2023 UEFA Super Cup Final. His experience also includes officiating at the Olympic Games and most recently at UEFA Euro 2024.
The full officiating team for today's game:
Referee: François Letexier (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Cyril Mugnier (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: MehdiRahmouni (FRA)
Fourth Official: Espen Eskås (NOR)
VAR referee: JérômeBrisard (FRA)
Kick off time and how to watch
The clash between Benfica and Bayern Munich for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 group stage will kick off at 3:00 PM (ET).
Gianni Taina is a bilingual journalist, fluent in English and Spanish, with a specialization in soccer, NBA, and tennis. He began his professional career in 2020 with Mundo Deportivo US, where he first established himself as a writer. Throughout his career, Gianni has covered major sports events such as the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the NBA Finals, and Grand Slam tournaments like the French Open. His ability to report on real-time events and perform well under pressure has made him a valuable member of a top-tier team of journalists. In 2024, he joined Bolavip US, bringing his expertise in soccer, NBA, and tennis to deliver original content while providing live coverage of important events.
