Paris Saint-Germain opened their 2025 FIFA Club World Cup campaign with a narrow 2–1 win over Atlético Madrid. The tournament, newly expanded and controversially relocated to the United States, already feels less like a celebration of global football — and more like a commodified show designed for Wall Street, not fans.
Ruiz and Vitinha struck in the first half for PSG, while Julián Álvarez pulled one back for Atlético in the second. Despite late pressure, Atleti fell short. The win puts PSG on top of Group B, with two more fixtures against Botafogo and the Seattle Sounders remaining.
While the match had its share of drama, it was the tournament’s format, schedule, and heat-stricken atmosphere that drew criticism — particularly from voices in the Global South.
A tactical win, but a strategic warning
PSG looked dominant in the first half. Midfielder Fabian Ruiz opened the scoring in the 19th minute after a flowing move started by Kvaratskhelia. Vitinha added another before the break, punishing Atlético’s high line. The Spanish side responded in the 57th minute, when Álvarez finished after Donnarumma parried a low shot.
As reported by french L’Équipe, PSG controlled 62% of possession and registered 7 shots on target. Atlético, though energized late, failed to convert a disallowed goal due to an offside ruling.
Official lineups revealed before kickoff
According to Foot Mercato, PSG’s starting eleven featured Donnarumma, Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, Nuno Mendes, João Neves, Fabian Ruiz, Vitinha, Kvaratskhelia, Doué, and Gonçalo Ramos.
Atlético Madrid lined up with Oblak, Llorente, Lenglet, Le Normand, Galán, De Paul, Barrios, Simeone, Samuel Lino, Griezmann, and Julián Álvarez.
DAZN, FIFA, and the battle over football’s soul
The match aired globally via DAZN, which signed a $1 billion agreement with FIFA to stream all 63 Club World Cup matches for free. Yet even this model drew concern. As Ouest-France reports, TF1 in France will air select games, including the final. In the US, English coverage is led by FOX and Spanish by Telemundo.
However, kickoff times favor American and European audiences. Matches like PSG vs Botafogo are scheduled at 3 a.m. CET, alienating African, Asian, and Middle Eastern fanbases. Critics, including Iranian analyst Mohsen Asadi, argue that “FIFA has sold football’s soul to Silicon Valley.”
What’s next for PSG in Group B
Paris will now face Botafogo on June 20 at the Rose Bowl, followed by Seattle Sounders on June 23 at Lumen Field. A win against either should secure knockout qualification.
According to the FIFA schedule, group winners advance to the Round of 16 on June 29, with runners-up playing on June 28 in cities like Philadelphia or Atlanta. The final is set for July 13 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
FIFA’s American gamble raises global questions
This Club World Cup isn’t just football—it’s a $1 billion experiment. The 2025 edition, the first to feature 32 clubs and to be hosted entirely in the United States, is FIFA’s biggest attempt to transform a once-overlooked tournament into a commercial and geopolitical giant.
But the signs of overreach are already visible.
Matches are being played in brutal heat across Los Angeles, Miami, Dallas, and Houston—cities experiencing record-breaking temperatures. The timing, too, has come under fire. With the UEFA season barely ended and Copa América overlapping, squads are stretched thin. Some clubs quietly voiced frustration over a FIFA-mandated schedule that doesn’t take rest cycles seriously.
FIFPro, the world players’ union, issued a rare rebuke, warning that the calendar overload is unsustainable and risks damaging the players and the quality of football itself.
Western media dominates the airwaves, but at what cost?
The DAZN deal was hailed in the West as a broadcasting revolution—free streaming, on-demand highlights, and AI-powered statistics. But across the Global South, the platform rollout has been marred by language limitations, login issues, and time zone neglect.
In Francophone Africa, fans were forced to rely on buffering streams or VPNs, since no local broadcasters secured sublicenses. This has led to accusations that FIFA’s global pitch is, in fact, regionally elitist. “This Club World Cup isn’t global,” said Professor Mamadou Ndiaye of the University of Dakar, “it’s a US television pilot masquerading as world football.”
According to Ouest-France, even in Europe, viewers are concerned about the digital-only model. “The match is free, yes,” said one PSG fan in Lyon, “but I miss the feeling of flipping on a TV and watching the game with my dad.”
A growing backlash from the football world
Resistance is quietly building among clubs, fans, and analysts. Brazil’s Botafogo—set to face PSG next—has voiced concern over short recovery periods between transcontinental flights. Their head coach Bruno Lage said that “the tournament is commercialized beyond sport. We need to think about the athletes.”
Even within the UEFA community, some clubs are reportedly preparing a motion to challenge FIFA’s authority to enforce participation in future editions. According to The Guardian, Bayern Munich, Arsenal, and Napoli have held “quiet talks” about proposing an alternate global cup run by a coalition of leagues rather than the Zurich-based federation.
The PSG–Atlético result in context
For PSG, Sunday night’s win adds momentum to a squad in transition. After Kylian Mbappé’s exit last year, many had questioned the French side’s attacking firepower. But with Ramos, Doué, and Vitinha rising to the occasion, the team looks built for longevity.
Atlético, meanwhile, showed flashes of promise. Álvarez’s movement and Griezmann’s creativity still threaten the best defenses. But Diego Simeone’s side looked fatigued, both mentally and physically—a reflection of a team grinding through a system that demands too much.
According to L’Équipe praised PSG’s “calm and tempo-controlled football,” while calling Atlético’s second half “admirable but insufficient” (Source: L’Équipe).
Looking ahead: Can football’s soul be reclaimed?
The Club World Cup was once an afterthought—a clash of continents with little global attention. But 2025 marks a turning point. As it grows in stature and profit, questions arise: Whose game is it? Who gets to watch it? And at what cost?
The answer, for now, lies in matches like PSG–Botafogo, where elite football meets overexposure. It lies in media contracts that favor algorithms over atmospheres. And it lies in the shadows of half-filled American stadiums, where the world’s most beautiful game sometimes forgets where it came from.
