Real Madrid weren't able to capture any trophies in a profoundly disappointing 2024/25 campaign, but they have responded in kind, with Florentino Perez firing three-time Champions League-winning Meregue managerial legend Carlo Ancelotti and replacing him with his former player, Xabi Alonso, in the coach's seat.
Alonso will have some shiny new toys to play with and a trophy with a whole lot of prize money to compete for this June in the Club World Cup, which opens on June 10.
Real Madrid have brought in Liverpool right back Trent Alexander-Arnold, paying an extra 10 million euros just to have one of English football's biggest names in time for the Club World Cup.
Meanwhile, Madrid also added Dean Huijsen from the Premier League to bolster their defense, and they are closing in on River Plate phenom Franco Mastantuono, too.
Let's take a closer look at who Real Madrid will be facing in Group H of the Club World Cup this summer and get to know a little bit more about each of these teams.
Real Madrid vs. Al-Hilal, June 18, 3:00 p.m. ET
Al-Hilal are one of the three biggest clubs in Saudi Arabia and actually finished second in the Saudi Pro League behind Karim Benzema's Al-Ittihad, edging out Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr in third place.
They have been more aggressive than any other team at building a stronger side to win the Club World Cup and take superpowers like Real Madrid by shock. Al-Hilal just agreed to hire Champions League Finalist Simone Inzaghi from Inter Milan, paying the Italian manager 26 million euros per season to lead them to Club World Cup glory.
As if that weren't enough, Al-Hilal are also pushing to sign some big-name players, with their biggest fish being Cristiano, who could very well be persuaded by the Saudi government to switch allegiances ahead of the key battle against Madrid.
Since Neymar hasn't worked out due to his injuries, Al-Hilal have been desperate for a superstar splash, even with big names like Joao Cancelo, Kalidou Koulibaly, and Aleksandar Mitrovic already in the team. Plus, Al-Hilal are out for revenge, as Real Madrid beat them 5-3 in the 2023 Club World Cup Final.
Real Madrid vs. Pachuca, June 22, 3:00 p.m. ET
Liga MX side Pachuca is another team with whom Real Madrid have international cup history. Los Merengues actually beat underdogs Pachuca soundly 3-0 in 2024 in the International Cup Final, which is the last international club cup FIFA tried to bring to glory, albeit with a fraction of the financail investment that this 2025 Club World Cup has.
Pachuca don't have the big names that Al-Hilal do or the ambitions to sign global superstars like Cristiano Ronaldo, but they do have some noteworthy names in their side. Real Valladolid loanee and former Chelsea prospect Kenedy and star man Oussama Idrissi of Sevilla fame are two names familiar to Madridistas who could cause the new-look Royal White defense trouble on June 22 in Charlotte.
Real Madrid vs. RB Salzburg, June 26, 9:00 p.m. ET
Real Madrid will wrap up Group H with a battle against Champions League regulars RB Salzburg, who have produced some of world football's biggest stars like Erling Haaland, Sadio Mane, Naby Keita, and Dominik Szoboszlai in the Premier League. But interestingly enough, nobody has ever played for both Madrid and Salzburg, though, perhaps one day, Manchester City's No. 9 will change that.
As far as head-to-head history goes, Real Madrid have only faced RB Salzburg once recently in the Champions League, and that was this past January when the Merengues crushed them 5-1. So as with Pachuca and Al-Hilal, Salzburg's current crop have a very recent layer of revenge on their mind when they take on the mighty Real Madrid at night in the City of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia.
The champions of the Austrian Bundesliga 10 times in a row before losing the league in each of the past two seasons, Salzburg will have a lot of pride to play for at the Club World Cup this summer, especially against Real Madrid.