Club World Cup fantasy football is, if anything, an opportunity to discuss the qualities of some of the top footballers on the planet. Typically, it’s midfielders who make a team’s game tick. But just who will you have in your squad? Here are my 10 recommendations.
Don’t forget that all of the CWC games are part of free and private fantasy football contests in FootballCoin.
Top 10 Midfielders for the Group Stage of the Fantasy Football Club World Cup
10. Jobe Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund)
Is it really a case of Borussia Dortmund trying their luck for a second time with the younger of the Bellingham siblings? Or, could Jobe Bellingham really become one of the best midfielders in the European game? Early suggestions indicate the latter.
9. Pablo Barrios (Atletico Madrid)
Sure, things didn’t quite work out for Atletico Madrid this time around. It wasn’t for a lack of trying, and certainly not because of Pablo Barrios. The 22-year-old Spaniard was the most exciting attacking threat in this Atleti side and a player you’ll want for your 2025 La Liga fantasy football team, surely.
8. Federico Valverde (Real Madrid)
Real Madrid has changed managers and brought in new, famous players. But you simply know that when crunch times come, it’ll be Federico Valverde stepping up. He’s definitely done it at this Club World Cup and you should feel at ease about picking him for the upcoming stages.
7. Leandro Barreiro (Benfica)
Benfica is one of the teams that has treated the Club World Cup most seriously of any other team in the U.S. tournament. And it was the 25-year-old defensive midfielder from Luxembourg, Leandro Barreiro, who was one of the players supplying that much needed grit.
6. Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea)
Chelsea has made plenty of high-profile transfers in recent years. Enzo Fernandez’s arrival at Stamford Bridge is one of the few that made sense then as well as now. Chelsea might have been embarrassed at the 2025 Club World Cup were it not for their midfield leader, the Argentinian World Cup winner.
5. Ilkay Gundogan (Manchester City)
It’s telling that Pep Guardiola opted to let go of the vast majority of his older players at the end of last season, but not Ilkay Gundogan. And while the Germans looked sluggish in the last campaign, the younger signings seem to be giving Gundogan the freedom he needed all this time.
4. Francisco Conceicao (Juventus)
Juventus are playing at this Club World Cup, and under new manager Igor Tudor, entirely different from the Juve of last season’s Serie A. For one thing, the team is scoring a lot of goals and making great use of their highly talented midfielder, Francisco Conceicao.
3. Ruben Neves (Al Hilal)
Frankly, this tournament was created, in part, with the goal of making teams like Al Hilal look respectable on the world stage. On the field, it worked. Ruben Neves wasn’t just a Premier League-level player until recently.
The Portuguese has maintained his skill level and has been one of the best fantasy football picks throughout the group stage. Should Al Hilal go through, do yourself a favour and pick him for your team. 
2. Angel di Maria (Benfica)
Angel Di Maria must surely know by now that he’s a legend of the game. But, like his friend and former teammate, Lionel Messi, this isn’t stopping him from adding to an already illustrious reputation. We had Di Maria as one of the best fantasy football picks going into this, and he has not disappointed at all.
1. Kvicha Kavaratkhelia (Paris Saint-Germain)
Kvicha Kavaratkhelia is a generational talent and the only man to win two league championship medals at the end of last season. You’d think that this would be enough to make the Georgian rest on his laurels. No, the silk-touched midfielder has been in superb form at this Club World Cup, and you’ll want to pick him for your team in the next phase of the competition.
