Matchday 2 of FIFA Club World Cup Fantasy gets underway on Thursday, with many managers planning to use their Wildcard for the second round of group stage matches.
With that in mind, we’ve put together a 15-man squad for those pulling the trigger.
As usual, a Wildcard will allow you to make unlimited transfers before a specific round and is perhaps most powerful to use in one of the group stages of Club World Cup Fantasy, given that managers will have another opportunity to overhaul their squad ahead of the round of 16.
- READ MORE: When is the Matchday 2 deadline for Club World Cup Fantasy?
- READ MORE: FIFA Club World Cup Fantasy 2025: Updated fixture tickers
- READ MORE: Club World Cup Fantasy: Kane blanks, PSG pen order + Telles haul
MATCHDAY 2: BEST WILDCARD SQUAD
Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Fluminense, Palmeiras, Porto, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid all have very decent fixtures in Matchdays 2 and 3, as below.
It makes sense to build our Wildcard squad around these teams, then.
- Atletico Madrid: Seattle Sounders + Botafogo
- Borussia Dortmund: Mamelodi Sundowns + Ulsan HD
- Fluminense: Ulsan HD + Mamelodi Sundowns
- Palmeiras: Al Ahly + Inter Miami
- Paris Saint-Germain: Botafogo + Seattle Sounders
- Porto: Inter Miami + Al Ahly
- Real Madrid: Pachuca + RB Salzburg
GOALKEEPERS
PSG cruised past Atletico Madrid in Matchday 1 with a comfortable 4-0 win, but defensive prowess is usually a key characteristic of Diego Simeone’s team. Indeed, Atletico conceded fewer goals than Barcelona and Real Madrid in La Liga last season. A total of 17 clean sheets was also a league best.
It’s the Seattle Sounders up next for Los Rojiblancos, followed by Botafogo, which is why Jan Oblak ($5.5m) is selected in goal. His save percentage of 78.1% was the third-best in the Spanish top-flight last season.
Oblak is paired with River Plate’s budget shot-stopper Franco Armani ($4.0m). His opposition is favourable in Matchday 2, when the Argentine giants face off against CF Monterrey.
DEFENDERS
Two of our back five are currently owned by under 5% of managers, therefore qualifying for the ‘Scouting Bonus’. They may, of course, rise beyond that by the deadline, but even so, remain attractive picks.
Palmeiras’ Joaquin Piquerez ($5.1m) impressed against Porto in Matchday 1, bombing forward as a wing-back in Abel Fereira’s 3-4-2-1 formation. He racked up eight crosses and three key passes in total. He might be on penalties as well.
While the majority of this Wildcard team was constructed with Matchdays 2 and 3 in mind, we can’t pass up the opportunity to target part-timers Auckland City, who had just one shot on goal and were thumped 10-0 by Bayern Munich on Sunday. Benfica’s Nicolas Otamendi ($5.2m) makes the cut as a result. The Argentine produced six goals and two assists in the league last season and served up a whopping 15-point haul in Matchday 1.
They are joined by Achraf Hakimi ($6.5m), Trent Alexander-Arnold ($6.4m) and Francisco Moura ($4.1m).
Francisco Moura is the only name that really needs explaining. The Porto defender got off to a flyer with a clean sheet in Matchday 1, and with Al Ahly, who will be without key man Eman Ashour ($4.7m) through injury, and Inter Miami up next, there’s every chance of further returns.
MIDFIELDERS
Michael Olise ($9.4m) tasted just 45 minutes of action in Matchday 1, but by the half-time whistle, had already racked up four attacking returns and 19 points. Upcoming opponents Boca Juniors and Benfica will provide sterner tests, but given his output throughout 2024/25, it’s hard to look past the 39.4%-owned midfielder.
Khivicha Kvaratskheilia ($9.2m) is another exciting pick, having assisted both of PSG’s first two goals against Atletico Madrid in Matchday 1. He faces Botafogo and the Seattle Sounders next.
Fluminense’s Jhon Arias ($6.2m) is his team’s key creator, who also takes corners, free-kicks and penalties. Easily the club’s best player, the Colombian international could be a nice under-the-radar pick (0.9% ownership) against Mamelodi Sundowns and Ulsan HD, two of the competition’s weakest teams.
We also call upon two budget enablers: Franco Mastantuono ($4.3m) and Rodrigo Mora ($4.2m), who you can read more about here.
FORWARDS
Vangelis Pavlidis ($7.8m) is included for the same reasons as Otamendi above, with Benfica set to face amateur outfit Auckland City. The Greek international was one of the standout players of the Portuguese league last season, with 19 goals and seven assists.
Benfica face Bayern Munich in the final round of group stage matches, so this draft keeps $2.1m in the bank to move Pavlidis to another forward, such as Julian Alvarez ($9.0m), ahead of Matchday 3.
Pavlidis is joined by Borussia Dortmund talisman Serhou Guirassy ($9.0m), who finished joint-top of the UEFA Champions League goalscoring charts in 2024/25 with Barcelona’s Raphinha, and Real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappe ($11.0m).
