Real Madrid vs Pachuca live updates: Club World Cup 2025 predictions, team news, latest score – The New York Times

FIFA Club World Cup
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Updated 13m ago
We are into the second week of the 2025 Club World Cup and the second round of group games continues as Real Madrid face Pachuca.
The Spanish giants, under new manager Xabi Alonso, missed a late penalty against Al Hilal and could only secure a 1-1 draw, while Pachuca of Mexico lost 2-1 against RB Salzburg.
You can sign up to DAZN to watch every FIFA Club World Cup game for free.
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FIFA president Gianni Infantino hits back at Club World Cup criticism: ‘It’s something special’
FIFA president Gianni Infantino is not listening to critics of the Club World Cup — hardly a surprise given all the money the organisation has thrown at it.
There have been early hiccups but he believes that's down to the novelty of the competition in its reworked first year.
He said: “Maybe some criticise it a little bit, but it’s something new. It’s something special” when speaking on a small stage at Fanatics Fest in Manhattan this weekend.
Something tells me cynics of the competition are going to need a bit more convincing than that.
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Wow, what a beautiful day for it.
It looks pretty hot out there though!
It's never a good thing to see: a game on hold because of inclement weather which poses a threat to fans and players.
We have already seen a few suspensions of play during this Club World Cup due to chaotic summer weather in the US and all the signs point to this being an early indicator of what is to come next summer when the World Cup heads Stateside.
Hopefully the weather will not impact any of today's matches after four matches being affected by weather-related delays in four days.
Whatever happens, the extreme weather will likely mirror what we’ll see at the men’s World Cup in 2026.
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Expect Club World Cup delays to repeat next summer, says weather chief
While we wait for the action to get underway, let's jog our memories on how the Group H table is looking after the first round of games.
Group H
It's all still to play for today. Can Real Madrid take top spot?
What a ride it has been for Pachuca coach Jaime Lozano.
The 46-year-old was deemed the saviour of the Mexican national team when he was given the top job in 2023.
Lozano led Mexico to the Gold Cup title that summer, but that honeymoon ended a year later. Lozano was fired after Mexico crashed out of the Copa America in the group stage.
After nearly a year off, Lozano is coaching in a Club World Cup with Real Madrid his next big challenge.
These tournaments are all about the shared experience — and we would love to hear from you throughout this Club World Cup.
Be it a comment, observation, prediction, a question you always wanted answered, or something completely different, we welcome it all.
Email us at live@theathletic.com and have your say. We’re already looking forward to reading what you’ve got for us.
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FIFA, Real Madrid, and Pachuca agreed yesterday the following points:
Some other context on the weather: The grass will be watered after the warm-up and at half-time, an important step considering the heat, with a cooling break in the 30th and 75th minutes if the temperature is above 82F/28C.
Around 63,000 fans are expected in the 74,000-capacity stadium.
Let's take a look.
Kicking off in less than an hour is the first match of today, with Juventus facing Wydad AC.
Real Madrid vs Pachuca, covered here, starts at 3pm ET, 8pm BST, with RB Salzburg vs Al Hilal in the same group beginning three hours later.
Finally, the action rounds off with Manchester City vs Al Ain, kicking off at 9pm ET, 6pm PT, 2am BST in the UK — and that match is also being covered live on The Athletic, so make sure you stick around for that!
Mexican side Pachuca look in real danger of exiting the tournament at the group stage after coming up short in a 2-1 loss against RB Salzburg on Wednesday.
Oscar Gloukh's goal shortly before the interval saw Pachuca behind, though they levelled via Bryan Gonzalez.
Despite having 17 shots to Salzburg's 10, Karim Onisiwo netted with 15 minutes left against probably the weakest other side in the group, with tougher tests against Real today, and Al Hilal to come.
It was a disappointing first match for Xabi Alonso as the new Real Madrid manager.
His side were on the ropes for much of the first half against Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal, and scored against the run of play when academy product Gonzalo Garcia finished off an impressive, sweeping counter-attack.
But Al Hilal were deservedly level just before the break as Raul Asencio dragged down Marcos Leonardo clumsily and Ruben Neves stuck the penalty away.
Real had a penalty of their own late on, but Federico Valverde's effort was disappointing and Yassine Bounou plunged to his right to keep it out. Just a draw. Real Madrid will want to put that right today.
Kylian Mbappe will not feature in Real Madrid’s Club World Cup game against Pachuca today.
The 26-year-old missed his side’s opening game against Al Hilal on Wednesday and was later hospitalised after being diagnosed with acute gastroenteritis.
The France international left the hospital on Thursday but has not recovered in time to travel to Charlotte with his Real Madrid teammates to face the Mexican side at the Bank of America Stadium.
Head coach Xabi Alonso told DAZN on Saturday that he hopes Mbappe will be fit for Madrid’s final group stage game against Red Bull Salzburg on Thursday, June 26.
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Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe to miss Pachuca game, could return vs. Red Bull Salzburg
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Bank of America Stadium is an open-air, multi-use ground located in Charlotte, among the newest “soccer cities” in the country.
It has become a routine stop for international friendlies and Concacaf Gold Cup clashes, including hosting Mexico’s sizable community of fans in the Southeast.
Charlotte FC draws big crowds, as well, and with Real Madrid, CF Pachuca, and Bayern Munich set to play one group stage match each in Charlotte, a solid turnout of fans is expected in the Queen City.
How to get there using public transportation: To arrive closest to the stadium, catch the LYNX Blue Line light rail, with FIFA advising to disembark at Brooklyn Village Station, around a 10-minute walk away.
Several bus routes also provide easy access.
All matches at this Club World Cup are available to watch on DAZN, so you can watch this afternoon's game in the United States and anywhere else that has access to DAZN.
Broadcasting rights to a selection of matches has also been licensed out to other broadcasters.
You can also tune in via TNT and truTV in the U.S., while in Australia, the Club World Cup is also available to stream on Kayo Sports.
The match kicks off at 3pm ET, which is 12pm noon PT on the west coast of the United States, 8pm BST in the UK, and 4.30am in the early hours of the morning for those of you in Australia.
Hello and welcome everyone to The Athletic, where on the menu today we're serving up piping-hot live coverage of Real Madrid vs Pachuca at the Club World Cup.
Record competition winners Madrid could only draw with Saudi side Al Hilal in their tournament opener, while Pachuca were beaten 2-1 by RB Salzburg on Wednesday.
So both teams will be desperate to secure all three points in their second group game. Coming up, we've got build-up, team news, analysis, stats, quotes, and more from our superb team of reporters on the ground in the U.S.
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