5 reasons Bayern will win Club World Cup

1) Another gong to gobble up

A simple glance at Bayern's ever-lengthening list of titles will tell you this is a club that lives and breathes silverware. Regaining the Bundesliga title in 2024/25 represented a return to the top of the German football tree and reignited ambitions in a side so used to winning, as FCB are.

Make no mistake about it - Bayern are in the USA with their sights firmly on lifting the Club World Cup, as their record opening Group C win against Auckland City proved. From Thomas Müller, who has a chance of surpassing Toni Kroos as the most decorated German player in football history in his Bayern swansong, to Harry Kane, who would love to build on his first major career trophy, every single player in the Bundesliga champions' ranks are eagerly eying the prize.

Watch: The best moments in Bayern's title-winning season 

2) Kane bonus

Unless you are completely new to football, you probably don't need telling that Kane brings goals by the bucketload wherever he goes. The 2024/25 Bundesliga top scorer clearly enjoys international tournaments, claiming the Golden Boot in the 2018 FIFA World Cup and sharing the honour at UEFA Euro 2024 in Germany last summer.

Having also topped the scoring charts in the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League, the chances have to be very high indeed that Kane unleashes his goalscoring prowess stateside this summer and makes a deep mark on the inaugural 32-team Club World Cup.

3) Guess who's back?

While Bayern's convincing title win showed the strength of their collective - through which dazzling individual talents like Michael Olise shone - there was no doubt a big factor in their narrow UEFA Champions League exit to eventual finalists Inter Milan was the absence of their creator-in-chief, Jamal Musiala.

With the 22-year-old marking his big tournament return in the USA with a sensational hat-trick against Auckland City, Musiala looks to be back to his devastating best again. Having delivered at a personal-best rate of 12 goals in 25 appearances before sustaining a hamstring injury in April, the playmaker has proven he can make all the difference in a close knockout tie. Musiala, plus returning goalkeeper Manuel Neuer are thus vital assets in Bayern's quest to land the trophy.

Watch: Five magic Musiala moments

4) Been there, done that

While the new FIFA World Club Cup trophy would obviously feature in Bayern's trophy cabinet for the first time should the Bavarians triumph in July, FCB are just one of four clubs to have already won the Club World Cup more than once. They claimed the honour in both 2013 and 2020, having also won the Intercontinental Cup in 1976 and 2001.

As many as six of the side that started the 2020 World Club Cup Final win against Tigres in Qatar are still in the champions' fold: Neuer, Joshua Kimmich, Alphonso Davies, Leroy Sané, Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry, while a young Musiala was introduced as a late substitute. Having a core of experienced players versed in travelling the world and tackling opponents from other confederations is a major asset for Bayern - with Neuer and the departing Müller also having their experience of the 2014 World Cup win in Brazil to call upon in their tilt for world club glory.

5) Bayern is America's team

From New York City to Los Angeles, Bayern has official fan clubs across the United States, with the official number (including Canada) standing at a whopping 95 in North America alone. Such is the appeal of the Bavarian giants stateside, that FCB opened offices in Manhattan back in 2014 and in 2023, the set-up moved to the world-famous Rockefeller Center in the Big Apple. Taking to the United States with a passionate travelling support from home, Bayern have now been met by their American fan family at the tournament. The combination is making the Bundesliga champions one of the best supported teams at this Club World Cup.