FIFA Club World Cup Fantasy 2025: CF Pachuca - Best players, predicted XI + more

In our first FIFA Club World Cup Group H preview, we start with the side who the bookies think are least likely to qualify: CF Pachuca.

READ MORE: How to play the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Fantasy game
READ MORE: FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Fantasy: What the bookies’ odds say

As part of our coverage of the official Fantasy game, we’re putting together mini-previews of all competing teams.

Here, you’ll find top goalscorers, leading assist-makers, a rough predicted XI and our pick of the players worth considering for your FIFA Fantasy Club World Cup teams.

PACHUCA: OVERVIEW

One of two Mexican sides taking part in this tournament, Pachuca qualify as the winner of 2024’s CONCACAF Champions Cup.

Formed by a group of miners from Cornwall, Los Tuzos have bagged seven Liga MX and six Champions Cup titles, primarily during a spell of North American dominance between 1999 and 2010. They won their latest one with a 3-0 final victory over Columbus Crew but lost by the same scoreline to Real Madrid in last December’s FIFA Intercontinental Cup final.

Nevertheless, they’ll quickly reunite with the Spanish side in Matchday 2, boasting a squad featuring two of Newcastle United’s 2018/19 ‘stars’ – Salomon Rondon ($6.0m) and loan signing Kenedy.

There’ll also be Oussama Idrissi ($6.0m) and the long-awaited American comeback of John Kennedy ($6.0m).

Pachuca’s place had been in danger due to FIFA’s multi-ownership rules. Part of the same umbrella, Club Leon were eventually banished.

And Pachuca’s 2024/25 Liga MX campaign was poor – after coming 16th in the first half (Apertura), the second half (Clausura) had them eighth, then out in the quarter-finals.

There’s also a new head coach to quickly adapt to: Jaime Lozano replaced Guillermo Almada at the end of May.

GROUP FIXTURES

FIFA Club World Cup Fantasy 2025: CF Pachuca - Best players, predicted XI + more

BOOKIES’ PREDICTIONS

	To Qualify	To Win Group
CF Pachuca	21.8%	4.3%
Real Madrid	91.4%	76.8%
Al-Hilal	44.8%	9.9%
RB Salzburg	42.0%	9.0%

LEAGUE NUMBERS

GOALS

Across all 37 Apertura and Clausura matches:

Salomon Rondon ($6.0m, FWD) – 15
John Kennedy ($6.0m, FWD) – 9
Arturo Gonzalez ($5.5m, MID) – 4

ASSISTS

Across all 37 Apertura and Clausura matches:

Oussama Idrissi ($6.0m, FWD) – 9
Salomon Rondon ($6.0m, FWD) – 5
Carlos Sanchez ($4.1m, DEF) – 4

SET-PIECE TAKERS

PENALTIES

Salomon Rondon ($6.0m, FWD)

Rondon scored Pachuca’s only spot-kick of 2025.

CORNERS + FREE KICKS

Elías Montiel ($4.2m, MID)
Emilio Rodríguez ($5.2m, FWD)

TOP FANTASY PICKS

SALOMON RONDON ($6.0m) – FWD

A name very familiar to FPL fans, Venezuela’s all-time top scorer netted 36 times in the Premier League for West Bromwich Albion, Newcastle and Everton.

After Goodison Park, Rondon returned to South America – first for a year at River Plate, then to Pachuca at the start of 2024. Now aged 35, he’s having a fruitful time in Mexico.

Consecutive Champions Cup hat-tricks preceded a brace in the winning final, making him the competition’s top scorer with nine goals in seven outings. Throughout the most recent Liga MX campaign, he struck 15 times and set up five others.

OUSSAMA IDRISSI ($6.0m) – FWD

Still in his prime, 29-year-old Idrissi assisted six times during Pachuca’s continental glory, going on to score a lovely solo goal versus Botafogo in the Intercontinental Cup.

It’s just a shame that the winger is classified as a forward in the game. Looking back, a great couple of AZ Alkmaar years earned him a €12m transfer to Sevilla in 2020, but the Moroccan barely made an impact in Spain. Loans to Ajax, Cadiz and Feyenoord couldn’t earn a permanent move, so he joined Pachuca for free.

Idrissi’s 2023/24 Liga MX season was particularly productive – six goals and nine assists in 26 matches – while nobody had more successful take-ons (104) and progressive carries (153) in 2024/25.

CARLOS MORENO ($5.0m) – GK

Yet, at the time of writing, Pachuca’s most-selected individual is goalkeeper Moreno. He’s in 1.4% of squads.

That still qualifies him for the ‘Scouting Bonus’, so any return of 5+ points gets rewarded with an extra two.

Not that clean sheets are frequent. Over the latest Apertura and Clausura, only three sides kept fewer clean sheets (six), though the victorious Champions Cup brought four in the final seven occasions.

It makes the defence in general questionable picks but Moreno can at least compensate with save points.