Fresh from their Bundesliga title success, Bayern Munich are eager to add a FIFA Club World Cup this summer. Here are five reasons why Vincent Kompany`s men can follow up a sensational season with more ground-breaking success in the USA.
1) Another gong to gobble up
A simple glance at Bayern`s ever-lengthening list of titles will tell you this is a club that lives and breathes silverware. Regaining the Bundesliga Meisterschale in 2024/25 represented a return to the top of German football and reignited ambitions in a side accustomed to winning.
Make no mistake about it: Bayern are in the USA with their sights firmly on lifting the Club World Cup and have advanced to the knockout stages where they will face Brazil`s Flamengo.
From Thomas Müller, who has a chance of surpassing Toni Kroos as the most decorated German player in football history in his Bayern swansong, to Harry Kane, who would love to build on his first major career trophy, every single player in the Bundesliga champions` ranks is eagerly eyeing the prize.
2) Kane bonus
Unless you are completely new to football, you probably don`t need telling that Kane brings goals by the bucketload wherever he goes. The 2024/25 Bundesliga top scorer clearly enjoys international tournaments, claiming the Golden Boot in the 2018 FIFA World Cup and sharing the honour at UEFA Euro 2024 last summer.
Having also topped the scoring charts in the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League, the chances have to be very high indeed that Kane manages the same feat at this inaugural 32-team Club World Cup.
He has already scored for Bayern, and the upcoming knockout rounds offer ample opportunity for Kane to help the Bavarians advance deeper into the competition and climb the scoring charts.
3) Guess who`s back?
While Bayern`s Bundesliga title win showed the strength of their collective – through which dazzling individual talents like Olise shone – a big factor in their narrow UEFA Champions League exit to eventual finalists Inter Milan was undoubtedly the absence of their creator-in-chief, Musiala.
With the 22-year-old marking his big tournament return in the USA with a sensational hat-trick against Auckland City, Musiala looks to be back to his devastating best again.
Despite recent injury concerns, the playmaker has proven he can make all the difference in crucial matches.
Musiala, plus returning goalkeeper Manuel Neuer are thus vital assets in Bayern`s quest to land the trophy.
4) Been there, done that
Bayern aim to add the new FIFA World Club Cup trophy to their collection, and they have a history of success in this competition, being one of only four clubs to have won the Club World Cup more than once.
They claimed the honour in both 2013 and 2020, having also won the Intercontinental Cup in 1976 and 2001.
Six of the side that started the 2020 World Club Cup Final win against Tigres in Qatar are still in the champions` fold: Neuer, Joshua Kimmich, Alphonso Davies, Leroy Sané, Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry, while a young Musiala was introduced as a late substitute.
Having a core of experienced players versed in travelling the world and tackling opponents from other confederations is a major asset for Bayern – with Neuer and the departing Müller also having their experience of the 2014 World Cup win in Brazil to call upon in their tilt for world club glory.
Manuel Neuer lifts the 2020 FIFA Club World Cup trophy.
5) Bayern = America`s team
From New York City to Los Angeles, Bayern have official fan clubs across the United States, with the official number (including Canada) standing at a whopping 95 in North America alone.
Such is the appeal of the Bavarian giants stateside, that Bayern opened offices in Manhattan back in 2014, before moving that HQ to the world-famous Rockefeller Center in the Big Apple in 2023.
Bayern arrives in the United States not only with a passionate travelling support from home but also with a large and enthusiastic fanbase already present in the USA. This combination makes the Bundesliga champions one of the best-supported teams at this Club World Cup.
During their time in the United States, Bayern has engaged with fan clubs across the country, demonstrating their commitment to being close to their global fanbase.
