Boca Juniors vs Benfica live updates: Club World Cup 2025 game latest score and goal alerts

The prospect of an expanded Club World Cup has not always been taken seriously.

Indeed, the reaction to it has often straddled an unfavourable line between negative and cynical.

So how was the format conceived and put into place? And just as importantly, is it here to stay?

Who better to ask than FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafström, considered one of the principal architects of this tournament — and a man with plenty of answers for our writer Felipe Cardenas, who spoke to Grafström ahead of the opening matches.

As a taster, there still seems to be a lot up in the air about the Club World Cup’s future. Grafström said:

💬 “I believe strongly in the future of this competition. The future is bright. Now we’re focusing on this edition — and the only thing we have fixed is the ranking system for 2029 and that the next tournament will be in 2029.”

You can read Felipe’s full interview with Grafström below…