European clubs have dominated the FIFA Club World Cup historically, last failing to win the competition back in 2012 when Chelsea fell to Brazilian side Corinthians in Japan.
Yet that doesn't mean they've had an easy go of it. In fact, only one Club World Cup final since 2016 has featured a scoreline with a margin of victory higher than two goals.
That was again the case in 2022, when Real Madrid lifted the Club World Cup title but only after they were given a real fight by Saudi club Al Hilal who made a game of things.
Still, Los Blancos prevailed to maintain UEFA's stranglehold on the trophy and win the club's fifth Club World Cup title, the most of any club in the competition's history.
This is how Madrid triumphed in Morocco in the 2022 final, which was held in February of this year due partly to the scheduling issues caused by the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
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After knocking off Egyptian side Al Ahly in the semifinals by a score of 4-1, Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti deployed a strong lineup for the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup final, with his full complement of available first-choice players taking the field.
The only regulars who did not feature were injured Thibaut Courtois, Ferland Mendy, and Eder Militao. Otherwise, the likes of Vinicius Jr, Karim Benzema, and Luka Modric started from the opening whistle along many of their fellow first-team star names.
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Fans were in for a treat, as the match featured a whopping eight goals through the 90 minutes of action. Real Madrid went ahead quickly, as Vinicius and Federico Valverde both scored inside the opening 20 minutes, but Moussa Marega brought Al Hilal one goal back before halftime, with the score 2-1 in favor of Los Blancos at the break.
Madrid raced ahead to a massive 5-1 lead as both Vinicius and Valverde grabbed a second, while Benzema added one himself, but Al Hilal would not go down without a fight. Argentine striker Luciano Vietto would grab a second-half brace of his own, giving Al Hilal a fighting chance down the stretch, but they couldn't quite secure a dream comeback.
All Club World Cup winners in history of FIFA tournament
The FIFA Club World Cup has been contested in its current iteration since 2000, with two Brazilian clubs reaching the first final over UEFA giants Real Madrid and Manchester United.
The next few years saw the tournament thrown into organizational chaos and it was not held, but once the competition returned, Brazilian clubs won the next two, with Sao Paulo and Internacional both topping European competition in the final by 1-0 scorelines.
Since then, however, European clubs have won all but one Club World Cup event, with only Chelsea's 2012 defeat to Corinthians standing out. Real Madrid have won the most Club World Cup titles of any side, winning their fifth crown in 2022. They won
| Year | Champion | Country | Region | Final Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Real Madrid | Spain | Europe (UEFA) | Real Madrid 5-3 Al Hilal |
| 2021 | Chelsea | England | Europe (UEFA) | Chelsea 2-1 Palmeiras* |
| 2020 | Bayern Munich | Germany | Europe (UEFA) | Bayern 1-0 Tigres |
| 2019 | Liverpool | England | Europe (UEFA) | Liverpool 1-0 Flamengo* |
| 2018 | Real Madrid | Spain | Europe (UEFA) | Real Madrid 4-1 Al Ain |
| 2017 | Real Madrid | Spain | Europe (UEFA) | Real Madrid 1-0 Gremio |
| 2016 | Real Madrid | Spain | Europe (UEFA) | Real Madrid 4-2 Kashima Antlers* |
| 2015 | Barcelona | Spain | Europe (UEFA) | Barcelona 3-0 River Plate |
| 2014 | Real Madrid | Spain | Europe (UEFA) | Real Madrid 2-0 San Lorenzo |
| 2013 | Bayern Munich | Germany | Europe (UEFA) | Bayern 2-0 Raja Casablanca |
| 2012 | Corinthians | Brazil | S. America (CONMEBOL) | Corinthians 1-0 Chelsea |
| 2011 | Barcelona | Spain | Europe (UEFA) | Barcelona 4-0 Santos |
| 2010 | Internazionale | Italy | Europe (UEFA) | Inter 3-0 TP Mazembe |
| 2009 | Barcelona | Spain | Europe (UEFA) | Barcelona 2-1 Estudiantes* |
| 2008 | Man United | England | Europe (UEFA) | Man United 1-0 LDU Quito |
| 2007 | AC Milan | Italy | Europe (UEFA) | Milan 4-2 Boca Juniors |
| 2006 | Internacional | Brazil | S. America (CONMEBOL) | Internacional 1-0 Barcelona |
| 2005 | Sao Paulo | Brazil | S. America (CONMEBOL) | Sao Paulo 1-0 Liverpool |
| 2000 | Corinthians | Brazil | S. America (CONMEBOL) | Corinthians 0-0 Vasco da Gama** |
*After extra time
**Match went to penalty shootout