Boca Juniors' sole previous appearance in the Club World Cup saw them beaten in the 2007 final by A.C. Milan, albeit they did get their hands on the Intercontinental Cup in 1977, 2000 and 2003, making them joint-record winners of that trophy.
Benfica meantime are preparing for their Club World Cup debut, having lost both Intercontinental Cup ties they contested, defeated by Peñarol in 1961 and by Pelé's Santos a year later.
Boca Juniors vs Benfica preview
Even though this is the opening game for both, give who else features in Group C, this clash in South Florida could be decisive in determining who reaches the round of 16. Boca Juniors are of course famous the world over, winning 35 Argentine Primera División titles, second only to fierce rivals River Plate, albeit they're not at the peak of their powers right now. Last season, Boca finished down in sixth, so had to enter the Copa Libertadores in the early round of qualifying, which did not go well, ignominiously dumped out by Alianza Lima after a penalty shootout at La Bombonera.
As a result, their wait for a first Libertadores triumph since 2007 will go on, an embarrassing barren period for the six-time winners, considering Independiente are the only club who can boast more titles, and they haven't been South American champions for 41 years! Without a win in four, safe to say the Xeneize's confidence is not sky-high but, now that Miguel Ángel Russo back for his third stint as manager, can he inspire them to a famous victory at Hard Rock Stadium?
Benfica too will be hurting, following a miserable end to their own campaign. As Águias were pipped to the Primeira Liga title on the final day before, a week later, also losing out to fierce rivals Sporting CP in the Taça de Portugal Final in Oeiras. Sporting equalised from the penalty spot in the 11th minute of injury time, before scoring twice during extra time to snatch the trophy.
So, plenty to prove for Bruno Lage who, since returning as head coach in September, did win the Taça da Liga and led Benfica to the round of 16 of the Champions League. They memorably demolished Atlético Madrid 4-0 at Estádio da Luz, also defeating Juventus 2-0 in Turin, before being dumped out by Barcelona. As referenced earlier, in Group C, Bayern Munich are firm favourites to top the section, while Auckland City are forecast to be the tournament's whipping boys. Thus, this meeting in Miami Gardens could prove pivotal, as both Boca and Benfica target three points on Monday night.
Boca Juniors vs Benfica head-to-head record
These two clubs have never previously met.
Boca Juniors team news
Centre-back Marco Pellegrino has recently arrived from AC Milan, so is set to debut, as is winger Malcom Braida, who's joined from San Lorenzo. Given that this is the first match of Miguel Ángel Russo's third stint in charge, it's hard to forecast if he'll make wholesale changes compared to the team beaten by Independiente on 20 May. In goal, veteran Sergio Romero has not featured since 24 November last year following knee surgery, so Agustín Marchesín will be donning the gloves.
Boca Juniors predicted lineup vs Benfica: (4-3-3): Marchesín; Blondel, Battaglia, Rojo, Blanco; Belmonte, Delgado, Zenón, Palacios; Merentiel, Cavani.
Boca Juniors player to watch vs Benfica
Edinson Cavani has 398 club goals to his name, making a name for himself at Napoli, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, Valencia and others. Since arriving at Boca Juniors, the 38 year old has netted 25 times, so can he fire them to victory in Miami?
Benfica team news
Bruno Lage is without the injured defensive trio Tomás Araújo, Alexander Bah and Manu Silva due to injury, while Arthur Cabral has been sold to fellow-Club World Cup participants Botafogo.
Meantime, Ángel Di María will depart Benfica for Rosario Central after this tournament, but Andreas Schjelderup and Kerem Aktürkoğlu are likely to get the nod out-wide from the start.
Benfica predicted lineup vs Boca Juniors: (4-3-3): Trubin; Araújo, Otamendi, António Silva, Carreras; Florentino, Kökçü, Aursnes, Schjelderup, Aktürkoğlu; Pavlidis.
Benfica player to watch vs Boca Juniors
This was Vangelis Pavlidis' first season at Benfica and it was certainly a productive one, scoring 29 goals across all competitions, seven of which came in the Champions League, including a hat-trick against Barcelona at Estádio da Luz in December. So, can the Greek international centre-forward fire the Eagles to victory in South Florida?
Boca Juniors vs Benfica prediction
We're struggling to split these two teams, but we give the slight edge to Benfica, backing the Portuguese outfit to pick up a vital victory at Hard Rock Stadium: Boca Juniors 1-2 Benfica.
Boca Juniors vs Benfica FAQs - FIFA Club World Cup
How to watch Boca Juniors vs Benfica FIFA Club World Cup game on TV channel?
Boca Juniors vs Benfica FIFA Club World Cup game will be available on the following TV channels;
- UK: Channel 5 and DAZN UK
- USA: DAZN USA.
- Canada: DAZN Canada
How to watch Boca Juniors vs Benfica FIFA Club World Cup game on live streaming?
Boca Juniors vs Benfica FIFA Club World Cup game will be available on the following streaming services;
- UK: My5 and DAZN UK
- USA: DAZN USA.
- Canada: DAZN Canada
What is the date and kick-off time for Boca Juniors vs Benfica in the FIFA Club World Cup?
Boca Juniors vs Benfica takes place on Monday 16 June 2025, with kick off at 23:00 (BST), 18:00 (EDT) & 15:00 (PDT).