Why Kylian Mbappe May Not Play in Real Madrid's Club World Cup Debut
Why Kylian Mbappe May Not Play in Real Madrid's Club World Cup Debut originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Real Madrid will make their 2025 FIFA Club World Cup appearance tomorrow against Al Hilal at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. Los Blancos are one of the favorites to win the competition and will look to go all the way this summer.
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Real Madrid are in Group H with Al Hilal, Club Pachuca, and RB Salzburg. The Spanish giants will debut under their new manager, Xabi Alonso, but he may be without one of the team's star players for the opening match.
Kylian Mbappe may miss the first game of the Club World Cup with Real Madrid after not participating in the last training session today before the match against Al Hilal. Luckily for him and the fans, the reason is not due to an injury.
Kylian Mbappe's illness causes mild concern
The club reported that Mbappé has a fever, which prevented him from training with the rest of the team today. Xabi Alonso trained the rest of the team ahead of tomorrow's match, and it is yet unclear if Mbappe is fully ruled out for the game.
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There is still a possibility that Mbappe will feature in the game against Al Hilal tomorrow in Miami. If the player starts to feel better, reports suggest that Mbappe may be able to play, but starting on the bench.
The French striker trained with the team yesterday. Mbappe even signed autographs for fans during their session. Mundo Deportivo reports that Mbappe began feeling sick after the training session yesterday.
Real Madrid's schedule in the Club World Cup
After the game tomorrow against Al Hilal, Real Madrid will play Pachuca and RB Salzburg.
On Sunday, they face Pachuca at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.
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On June 26, Real Madrid will play RB Salzburg in its last group stage game at the Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Real Madrid are the favorites to top the group, and if they finish first, they will play the second-placed team of Group G. That group consists of Al Ain, Juventus, Manchester City, and Wydad Casablanca.
Manchester City and Juventus are the favorites to advance to the next round, and one of the two will likely play against Real Madrid in the Round of 16.
Related: Nico Williams Wants Barcelona Move But $75M Clause Creates a Problem
Related: Lionel Messi's Perfect Tournament Record at Risk Ahead of FIFA Club World Cup
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 17, 2025, where it first appeared.
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