Can Fluminense win the Club World Cup? 'Magical' win over Inter saves FIFA tournament from European domination

BANK OF AMERICA STADIUM, CHARLOTTE — The first true upset of the 2025 Club World Cup knockout stage has come to fruition as Brazilian giants Fluminense upended UEFA Champions League finalists Inter Milan in the Round of 16 on Monday.

German Cano's third-minute goal provided a springboard for the 2023 Copa Libertadores champions, as they would frustrate their Italian opponents throughout the 90 minutes in a 2-0 win.

Inter become the third European side eliminated from the competition after Atletico Madrid and RB Salzburg were dumped out in the group stage.

MORE: 2025 FIFA Club World Cup schedule, bracket, fixtures, results, and more

Fluminense, meanwhile, became the second non-European club into the quarterfinals, alongside Palmeiras, who nudged past fellow Brazilian side Botafogo in the Round of 16. They were excellent in all phases of the game against Inter, playing frustrating yet cohesive defense while providing a notable threat on the counter when given the chance to get down the other end quickly.

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Fluminense upsets Inter, avoids European domination at Club World Cup

While FIFA will no doubt be thrilled to have the most popular, recognizable, and talented European teams reach the later stages of the Club World Cup, the global governing body has rested its laurels on this newly minted edition of the competition providing a truer reflection of the global game.

Had the UEFA giants wiped the floor with every participant from the other confederations, it would have left a bitter taste in the mouths of viewers who were fed a torrent of PR from FIFA about the necessity of the tournament's increase in scope.

Instead, Fluminense proved that European talent can be contended with without resorting to ugly time-wasting tactics that negatively affect the entertainment value of a game — as well as the perception of the club deploying such dark arts.

"I believe we are going through a magical moment at this Club World Cup," said Fluminense head coach Renato Gaucho. "We are going to keep on dreaming, because we are dreamers. In football and in life, anything is possible.

“Unquestionably, we are representing Brazilian football beautifully," Gaucho continued. "We were humble, we respected the opponent, and we gave it our all. We ran when we needed to run, and we played hard."

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The Brazilian club was, instead, simply excellent as Fluminense took advantage of Inter's complete and total disorganization. The Champions League finalists were an utter mess up and down the pitch, and Fluminense fully deserved their victory.

"It was very exhausting, we gave everything on the field," said a visibly emotional Samuel Xavier after the match.

Inter's center-backs repeatedly failed to communicate properly, resulting in a disconnected and disorganized back line with players unsure who to mark. Inter's midfielders had no idea where each other were at times. Meanwhile, strikers were attacking the same delivery instead of maintaining space to stretch the back line — toward the end of the first half, Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram both jumped to head the same outswinging corner in essentially the exact same space.

Fluminense's manager Renato Gaucho instilled a warrior mentality of fearlessness in his players and led by example on the touchline. He started a fracas on the touchline deep into first-half stoppage-time when he goaded Henrikh Mkhitarayan, who was collecting the ball for a throw-in.

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Three Fluminense players picked up first-half yellow cards, and while all of them were surely deserved, it's hard to say any of them resulted from rash decisions or ugly challenges. Instead, the bookings came simply as a biproduct of aggressive play and physicality. The Brazilian club was, in essence, truly up for it.

After halftime, they did well to take advantage of referee Ivan Barton's inconsistent and lenient whistle, successfully testing the boundaries of his decisions to halt Inter's advancements into the attacking third. They were experts in initiating defensive contact while maintaining plausible deniability, all while avoiding negative time-wasting tactics which are the hallmark of outmatched sides clinging to a positive result.

While the dominant defensive performance from Fluminense carried them through most of the second half, they needed two outrageous saves from 44-year-old goalkeeper Fabio in the final 10 minutes, coming in quick succession.

— DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) June 30, 2025

“We had to move a lot, dedicate ourselves," Fabio said after the match. "We were fortunate that when we possessed the ball we attacked with quality and showed that we had the ability to win the match and play our best football against a great team.

"We have to play differently than they do. We have to be intelligent, we can't get disorganized. We had to stand out to neutralize the quality players they have. When we had the ball, we also had to put our quality into practice. The desire we had is the desire to win, and we had to apply that into every minute of the game."

From that point on, Inter appeared to have truly wilted in the Charlotte heat, and they failed to test the aging goalkeeper again. The Italian club appeared snake bitten as they wasted crosses, misplaced passes, committed clumsy fouls, and clattered the crossbar. It simply wasn't their day.

"We’re going to celebrate a lot," claimed Xavier through his outpouring of emotions. "We have to, it’s not easy to beat a team that, until recently, was in the Champions League final."

Can Fluminense win the 2025 Club World Cup?

There is no doubt that both Fluminense and Palmeiras are not only deserving of their quarterfinal places but also a true test for the remaining European clubs.

Both clubs are exceptional at taking advantage of opposition mistakes, and Fluminense were brilliant in attacking Inter's biggest weaknesses — midfield athleticism and defending out wide.

Yet there is still a clear talent disadvantage between the Brazilian sides and their remaining European opponents. To win the Club World Cup, Fluminense will likely have to go through Manchester City, Chelsea, and then either Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, or reigning Champions League winners PSG.

That run of potential three-match run of top-tier opposition presents a gauntlet of global giants that would be unlikely to relent.

Still, Fluminense will clearly be spurred on by this incredible result against Inter.

"I'm satisfied with what we’ve done wearing this shirt, and it’s really good to keep making history," Xavier said as he continued to let his emotions flow. "It’s great to defend a team where you love working, where you’re happy every day to work, to arrive and train with your teammates, to wear this shirt. I’m very grateful to God for giving me this opportunity.

"When I arrived here in 2021, I didn’t expect to make such a big history. Winning the Libertadores, the Recopa, the Carioca Championship, and now competing in a Club World Cup with memorable victories... I want to keep making history here and play many more games for this club that I love so much."

FIFA will be thrilled with the outcome of this match, as it provides some minor respite from the inevitable European dominance while leaving the true moneymakers alive in the tournament field.