Real Madrid’s campaign at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 got off to a frustrating start, as the Spanish giants were held to a 1-1 draw by Al Hilal in Xabi Alonso’s managerial debut. Both sides earned a point in their opening Group H match at Hard Rock Stadium.
Real Madrid took the lead in the 33rd minute thanks to Gonzalo Garcia, who finished off a well-placed assist from Rodrygo. But the advantage was short-lived. Just seven minutes later, Al Hilal drew level through a Ruben Neves penalty following a foul inside the box. The scoreline remained unchanged for the rest of the match, despite late drama.
In the 90th minute, referee Facundo Tello awarded a penalty to Real Madrid after a VAR review. However, Al Hilal goalkeeper Bono came up with a crucial save to deny Federico Valverde and preserve the draw.
Real Madrid will look for their first win on Sunday, June 22, when they take on Pachuca, while Al Hilal will aim for the same as they face RB Salzburg later that day.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Thanks for joining us!
Real Madrid and Al Hilal tied 1-1 at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 and you lived every moment of this game here.
Thanks for staying with us, see you next time!
END OF THE GAME! (1-1)
The match between Real Madrid and Al Hilal ended leveled.
91'- BONO SAVES IT!!
Bono saves Al Hilal to keep the thins level!
Tweet placeholder
90- Penalty for Real Madrid! (1-1)
After a VAR review, referee Facundo Tello awarded a penalty to Real Madrid.
88'- Yellow card in Al Hilal (1-1)
Ruben Neves receives a yellow card.
Advertisement
Advertisement
82'- Substitutions in both teams (1-1)
In Al Hilal, Renan Lodi and Marcos Leonador leave the field to make way for Moteb Al-Harbi and Musab Al-Juwayr.
While in Real Madrid, Luka Modric replaces Jude Bellingham.
79'- Substitution in Real Madrid (1-1)
Vinicius leaves the field to make way for Victor Muñoz.
75'- Substitution for Al Hilal (1-1)
Nasser Al-Dawsari leaves the field to make way for Mohamed Kanno.
71'- Leonardo misses a golden opportunity! (1-1)
After breaking into the box, Al-Dawsari laid the ball off for Leonardo, who found himself unmarked in front of goal—but his shot sailed over the crossbar.
65'- Two substitutions in Real Madrid (1-1)
Rodrygo and Trent Alexander-Arnold leave the field to make way for Lucas Vazquez and Brahim Diaz.
Advertisement
Advertisement
46'- Real Madrid miss a big chance! (1-1)
After a brilliant cross from Vinícius, Arda Güler fired a shot from inside the box that struck the post. Seconds later, Bono came up big to deny a powerful header from Gonzalo García, keeping Al Hilal level.
Tweet placeholder
Second half underway! (1-1)
The game is on again!
End of the first half! (1-1)
The match heads into halftime with Real Madrid and Al Hilal level at 1-1.
45'+1- Al-Dawsari misses a huge chance! (1-1)
After a great attacking sequence from Al Hilal, Salem Al-Dawsari fired a shot that was deflected out for a corner!
40'- GOAAAAAL FOR AL HILAL!! (1-1)
Ruben Neves scores from the penalty spot to level things!
Tweet placeholder
Advertisement
Advertisement
39'- Penalty for Al Hilal! (1-0)
Tello awarded a penalty to Al Hilal after a foul by Asencio inside the box.
33'- GOAAAAAL FOR REAL MADRID! (1-0)
Gonzalo García scores the opening goal of the match after a brilliant assist from Rodrygo.
Tweet placeholder
29'- Cooling break (0-0)
Referee Facundo Tello temporarily stops the match to allow players from both teams to cool off.
63'- Two substitutions in Al Hilal (1-1)
Joao Cancelo and Malcom leave the field to make way for Mohammed Al Qahtani and Hamad Al Yami.
14'- First yellow card of the game (0-0)
Vinicius Jr received the first yellow card of the game.
Advertisement
Advertisement
9'- Al Hilal miss the first clear chance! (0-0)
After a clever pass from Al-Dawsari, Leonardo fired a shot from inside the box that narrowly missed Courtois' post.
Tweet placeholder
8'- Al Hilal are a bit more aggressive than Real Madrid (0-0)
Al Hilal opened the match with more intensity than Real Madrid in what’s shaping up to be a thrilling contest!
GAME ON!
Real Madrid and Al Hilal have kicked off their campaign at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup!
Both teams are doing warm-up activities!
Real Madrid and Al Hilal are doing warm-up activities on the field. The game will begin at the Hard Rock Stadium in a few minutes!
Today’s referee
Argentine referee FacundoTello has been appointed to officiate the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 matchup between Real Madrid and Al Hilal. Tello brings extensive international experience to the tournament.
In 2024 alone, he was selected for high-profile assignments including UEFA Euro in Germany, the OFC Champions League, as well as the finals of both the Recopa Sudamericana and Copa Libertadores.
The full officiating team for today's game:
Referee: Facundo Tello (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Pablo Belatti (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: GabrielChade (ARG)
Fourth Official: CésarRamos (MEX)
Advertisement
Advertisement
Why is Aleksandar Mitrovic not playing for Al Hilal?
Al Hilal will be without one of their top players, AleksandarMitrovic, as the Serbian striker has not recovered in time from his injury and has been ruled out of the match.
"We tried to prepare for the game in the best way possible. We didn’t have much time and only managed four training sessions. The ambition is to turn Al Hilal into one of the top clubs at the Club World Cup, but the first task is to improve the team. We lost Mitrović due to injury," explained Simone Inzaghi during his press conference.
Al Hilal's lineup confirmed!
Al Hilal’s starting XI will be: Yassine Bounou; Joao Cancelo, Hassan Altambakti, Kalidou Koulibaly, Renan Lodi; Nasser Al-Dawsari, Ruben Neves, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Salem Al-Dawsari; Malcom, Leonardo.
Tweet placeholder
Confirmed lineup for Real Madrid!
Real Madrid’s starting XI will be: Thibaut Courtois; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Raul Asencio, Dean Huijsen, Fran Garcia; Aurelien Tchouameni, Federico Valverde, Jude Bellingham; Vinicius Junior, Gonzalo, Rodrygo Goes.
“Kylian was feeling a bit better, but not well enough,” Xabi Alonso said in a press conference on June 17. “It’s better that he didn’t go out to train. We’ll wait until the last moment for him, we’ll decide tomorrow”.
Kick off time and how to watch
The clash between Real Madrid and Al Hilal for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 group stage will kick off at 3:00 PM (ET).
DAZN will be the option to watch Real Madrid vs Al Hilal in the USA. Other options are TNT, TruTV, UniMás, TUDN, Fubo, DirecTV Stream, Sling Blue, Sling Orange.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Real Madrid and Al Hilal clash in Matchday 1 of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025
Welcome to our live blog of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025, where Real Madrid and Al Hilal face off at the Hard Rock stadium.
This highly anticipated clash marks the beginning of a new era for Xabi Alonso at Real Madrid and for Simone Inzaghi at Al Hilal.
Stay with us for live, minute-by-minute updates—you won’t want to miss a single moment of this thrilling showdown!
Gianni Taina is a bilingual journalist, fluent in English and Spanish, with a specialization in soccer, the 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, where he now covers a wide range of sports, including European soccer, MLS, and the NBA.
