This Monday, Xabi Alonso’s Real Madrid kicks off with the Club World Cup on the horizon. With Carlo Ancelotti’s departure after a poor year in terms of play and results, the arrival of the Spanish coach has been greeted with great enthusiasm by the club and fans. There are high expectations for the coach, who will have very few days to prepare for a demanding event in which the goal is none other than to win the title.
A real test
No one said it would be easy, and becoming Real Madrid coach is a challenge fraught with pressure and demanding objectives. The first of these challenges is the Club World Cup, which will begin for the Whites in less than 10 days. The tight schedule, with many players called up for their national teams, means that the start of the job will not be easy for Xabi Alonso, who will have to do everything possible to win the title.
First, he will have to get through the group stage. Real Madrid’s journey begins on June 18 with their first match in the group stage. The Whites, who are in Group H, will face Al Hilal in Miami at 9 p.m. On Sunday, June 22, also at 9 p.m., they will take on Pachuca in Charlotte. Finally, Xabi Alonso’s side will play their third match on Friday, June 27, at 3 a.m. against Salzburg.
To continue their journey, they must finish in the top two of their group. This will see them through to the round of 16, which will be played between June 28 and July 1. The quarter-final matches will take place between July 4 and 5. If Real Madrid advances, it will reach the semifinals on July 8 and 9 at 9 p.m. The final will be played at the same time on Sunday, July 13, and Real Madrid hopes to get there, rewarding its players with one million euros each if they manage to lift the title.
Florentino is clear
During the 2025 badge ceremony for Real Madrid’s most veteran members, the president made it clear that Real Madrid is not going to the United States for a walk in the park. “It has now been a year since Real Madrid won its fifteenth European Cup at Wembley. And this season, our team has won two titles to add to a list of achievements that will be very difficult to match: the sixth European Super Cup and the Intercontinental Cup, Real Madrid’s ninth world title, but you know that at this club we always want more. And now, we are once again excited to take on the Club World Cup to be held in the United States,” he said.
Florentino Pérez took the opportunity to dedicate a few words of affection to two legends of the club who said goodbye to the Bernabéu on the last day against Real Sociedad. “Allow me to say a few words of affection for two legends who have received a well-deserved and emotional tribute from Madridismo. Our recognition and admiration go out to our beloved Carlo Ancelotti and Luka Modrić. Thank you for everything you have given us,” he concluded.