By Victor Kanayo
The Round of 16 stage of the ongoing FIFA Club World Cup will formally kick off on Saturday, June 28, 2025.
In the fixtures, Palmeiras will face Botafogo; same Saturday, Benfica will test Chelsea’s might.
On Sunday, favourites and UEFA Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain will battle Inter Miami, with Lionel Messi as the anchor man. Also, Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich tackle Flamengo of Brazil.
In other knockout matches, Inter Milan will play Fluminense on Monday. Then on Tuesday, it will be Manchester City versus Al-Hilal, and Real Madrid against Juventus, being the cracker of this stage of the tournament holding in the United States.
The last match of the last 16 will witness another Bundesliga giant, Borussia Dortmund, engaging Monterrey on Wednesday.
Wydad Undoing
Meanwhile, FIFA has hit Wydad Athletic Club with a hefty fine following the use of smoke bombs by its supporters during the ongoing competition.
Despite already crashing out of the tournament, the Moroccan giants have been handed a $400,000 fine by FIFA for breaching stadium safety regulations.
The incident occurred during Wydad Casablanca’s second group stage match against Juventus, which ended in a 4-1 defeat for the North Africans at Audi Field in Washington.
Celebration Gone Awry
During celebrations for Thembinkosi Lorch’s goal, Wydad’s first in the competition, red smoke bombs were ignited by fans in the stands.
Although the smoke did not interrupt the match, as it coincided with a scheduled cool-down break, thick fog lingered over the pitch for several minutes.
While the scene was widely circulated and admired on social media for its visual impact, tournament organisers viewed it as a clear violation of safety protocols.
