The FIFA Technical Study Group (TSG) has highlighted the competitive nature of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™, saying that it has shown that high-quality football is played all over the world. FIFA Chief of Global Football Development Arsène Wenger said the group stage was "much tighter than expected" and while the TSG, also including FIFA World Cup™ winners Jürgen Klinsmann and Gilberto Silva and FIFA Women's World Cup™ winner Tobin Heath, highlighted the performances of the Brazilian teams after all four reached the round of 16. "The competition is much tighter than expected. We wanted to create this (FIFA) Club World Cup to give the big clubs from all over the world the opportunity to come here," said Mr Wenger. "It looks like it's the start of something that will never stop again. "Our hope is that the teams that competed here go home and say, 'Next time, we know what we have to do to come back stronger' and that in their countries this also helps to develop the game." Four confederations were represented in the round of 16 including nine from UEFA, four from CONMEBOL, two from Concacaf and one from the AFC.

"I think, overall, the tournament (has been) very, very positive. I mean, it’s not only a fantastic test (ahead of) the (FIFA) World Cup coming up next year in Canada, Mexico and the US; it’s also an indication that the clubs take this tournament very, very seriously. (There have been) very good games, high-quality games," said Klinsmann. "I think that you can see the players are enjoying it, they’re having fun. They want to show[case] themselves, they want to prove a point personally, but also for their clubs, which is different to their national teams. And then you have players who you haven’t seen much (of) before, like [Franco] Mastantuono from (CA) River Plate."

Both Gilberto Silva and Tobin Heath praised the Brazilian teams. “I believe that this tournament is one of the best things that has happened for Brazilian football in the last few months,” said Silva. “Now you can see that the Brazilian clubs are competing (at) a very high level and show that we are in a good place. Of course, there (are) a lot of things to improve… (We) just take away what we need to bring back to the country to improve our game and be competitive around the world as we are showing here.“ Heath added: “I think we believed that the European teams would, obviously, be very dominant in this competition, but we’ve been surprised at the strength of the Brazilian teams.” She was especially impressed by Flamengo, who were more possession-based than their compatriots. "Their midfield play is extraordinary: it’s balanced, it’s diverse in the way that they attack. They have a clear style, and I very much enjoyed them,” she said.

Teams from other continents had also impressed, even if they hadn’t made the last 16, with South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns FC getting a special mention.

“They have been absolutely exceptional; they’re inspiring. (There are) different ways of thinking about football and thinking about ways that teams can adapt to this competition,” said Heath. “Overall, I think what we’ve been exposed to is a level of the club competition that we’ve never seen before, where we’re being exposed to different cultures, styles, players – that we haven’t necessarily had the same kind of exposure to – that has made this competition extremely fruitful and inspiring.”