Companies feared “fighting” because of “pitch and heat” – and claim that Kane’s replacement is always planned

Bayern Munich manager Vincent Company suggests he will not play his final 16 games at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte after losing to Benfica, who sacrificed a top spot in Group C at the 2025 Club World Cup.

The Portuguese team postponed a late pressure torrent from Bayern to leap the German champions through an early strike in Andreas Schöldelup’s closing group stage game.

“I was honestly afraid that this wouldn’t go as fluid as normal with the pitch and the heat,” Company told Dazen after overseeing his first loss in 10 games.

“That first breath – the first time you’ve faced the heat – sometimes it’s like this. It wasn’t the first time.”

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Bavaria Munich “Paid Price” vs Benfica

Behind Bayern’s 13-minute strike from Norwegian Winger Sch Geldelup, Company attacked trio Harry Kane, Michael Oris and Joshu Akimic at halftime.

Midfielder Kimic was denied a long-range equalizer due to Kane being offside and after collecting Thomas Muller’s pass into the box on the right, Conrad Reimer hit the far post.

Eagles goalkeeper Anatoly Trubin was inspired by the game, including a one-on-one short save from Alexander Pablovic and a slow stop to block Leroy Sain, one-on-one.

“I was still confident in the second half,” Company said. “We created a lot in the second half and played really well.

“We were one-on-one with goalkeepers and other opportunities. If you don’t take them, you’ll pay the price in the end.”

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2025 Club World Cup: Bayern vs Flamengo

Benfica will return to Charlotte for their final 16 games, but Bayern will face Brazilian leader Flamengo in Florida on Sunday (21:00 BST).

“It’s going to be Flamengo or Chelsea, so it’s going to be tough,” Company said. “We don’t take anything negative about the game.

“The positive is probably not to play any more for Charlotte. We were dominant and created more opportunities. We didn’t win.

Harry Kane: Bayern alternative “plan”

Company was asked about Kane’s introduction at halftime for the top Bundesliga goalscorer last season, and the England captain used an ice bucket to deal with the heat.

“That was a plan,” replied Company. That side beat Auckland City 10-0, 10-0 in the first two games.

“I wanted to finish strong because I knew the game would start slowly. We had an absolutely strong finish, but we didn’t get any results so we can’t take anything from this game other than the second half performance.”

FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Equipment, Schedule, Results

Sunday, June 15th

Group A: Al Ally 0-0 Miami (Miami)
Group C: Bavaria Munich 10-0 Auckland (Cincinnati)
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain 4-0 Atletico Madrid (Los Angeles)
Group A: Palmeiras 0-0 Porto (New Jersey)

Monday, June 16th

Group B: Botafogo 2-1 Seattle Sounders (Seattle)
Group D: Chelsea 2-0 Los Angeles FC (Atlanta)
Group C: Boca Junior 2-2 Benfica (Miami)

Tuesday, June 17th

Group D: Flamengo 2-0 Esperance (Philadelphia)
Group F: Fluminense 0-0 Borussia Dortmund (New Jersey)
Group E: Kawaita 3-1 Urawa Red Diamond (Seattle)
Group F: Ulsan 0-1 Mamelody Sundown (Orlando)

Wednesday, June 18th

Group E: Monterrey 1-1 Intermilano (Los Angeles)
Group G: Manchester City 2-0 Widead (Philadelphia)
Group H: Real Madrid 1-1 Al Giral (Miami)
Group H: Pachuca 1-2 Salzburg (Cincinnati)

Thursday, June 19th

Group G: Al Inn 0-5 Juventus (Washington)
Group A: Palmeiras 2-0 al-ahly (New Jersey)
Group A: Intermiami 2-1 Porto (Atlanta)
Group B: Seattle 1-3 Atletico Madrid (Seattle)

Friday, June 20th

Group B: PSG 0-1 Botafogo (Los Angeles)
Group C: Benfica 6-0 Auckland City (Orlando)
Group D: Flamengo 3-1 Chelsea (Philadelphia)
Group D: LAFC 0-1 Esperance (Nashville)

Saturday, June 21st

Group C: Bayern 2-1 Boca Junior (Miami)
Group F: Mamelodi Sundowns 3-4 Dortmund (Cincinnati)
Group E: Inter Milano 2-1 Urawa Red Diamond (Seattle)
Group F: Fluminense 4-2 Ulsan (New Jersey)

Sunday, June 22nd

Group E: Kawaboard 0-0 Monterrey (Los Angeles)
Group G: Juventus 4-1 Wide (Philadelphia)
Group H: Real Madrid 3-1 Pachuca (Charlotte)
Group H: Salzburg 0-0 Alhilal (Washington)

Monday, June 23rd

Group G: Man City 6-0 al-ain (Atlanta)
Group B: Seattle 0-2 psg (Seattle)
Group B: Atletico Madrid 1-0 Botafogo (Los Angeles)

Tuesday, June 24th

Group A: Porto 4-4 al-ahly (New Jersey)
Group A: Intermiami 2-2 Palmeiras (Miami)
Group C: Auckland 1-1 Boca Junior (Nashville)
Group C: Benfica 1-0 Bayern (Charlotte)

Wednesday, June 25th

Group D: LAFC vs Flamengo (Orlando, 02:00)
Group D: Esperance vs Chelsea (Philadelphia, 02:00)
Group F: Dortmund vs Ulsan (Ringinnati, 20:00)
Group F: Mamelodi Sundowns vs Fluminense (Miami, 8:00pm)

Thursday, June 26th

Group E: Urawa Red Diamond vs Monterrey (02:00)
Group E: Inter Milan vs. River Board (Seattle, 02:00)
Group G: Juventus vs. Man City (Orlando, 8:00pm)
Group G: Wydad vs Al-An (Washington, 20:00)

Friday, June 27th

Group H: Salzburg vs Real Madrid (Philadelphia, 02:00)
Group H: Al-Hilal vs Pachuca (Nashville, 02:00)

Club World Cup Round with 16 Equipment

Saturday, June 28th

Match 49: Palmeiras vs Botafogo (Philadelphia, 17:00)
Match 50: Group C winner vs Group D runner-up (Charlotte, 9:00)

Sunday, June 29th

Match 51: PSG vs Inter Miami (Atlanta, 17:00)
Match 52: Group D winner vs Group C runner up (Miami, 9:00pm)

Monday, June 30th

Match 53: Group E winner vs Group F runner-up (Charlotte, 15:00)

Tuesday, July 1st

Match 54: Group G winner vs Group H runner-up (Orlando, 02:00)
Match 55: Group H winner vs Group G Runner Up (Miami, 8:00pm)

Wednesday, July 2nd

Match 56: Group F winner vs Group E runner-up (Atlanta, 9:00pm)

Club World Cup Quarterfinals

Friday, July 4th

Match 57: Winner Match 53 vs Winner Match 54 (Orlando, 20:00)

Saturday, July 5th

Match 58: Winner Match 49 vs Winner Match 50 (Philadelphia, 02:00)
Match 59: Winner Match 51 vs Winner Match 52 (Atlanta, 17:00)
Match 60: Winner Match 55 vs Winner Match 56 (New Jersey, 21:00)

Club World Cup semi-finals

Tuesday, July 8th

Match 61: Winner Match 57 vs Winner Match 58 (New Jersey, 20:00)

Wednesday, July 9th

Match 62: Winner Match 59 vs Winner Match 60 (New Jersey, 20:00)

FIFA Club World Cup Final

Sunday, July 13th

Match 63: Winner Match 61 vs Winner Match 62 (New Jersey, 20:00)

How to watch Club World Cup: Live stream, UK TV channels

Live coverage for 40 matches is on Dazzen23 on Channel 5. Dazn subscribers or Freemium members can tune as part of their existing membership, while non-subscribers can sign up for a free account and start watching.

Fans can watch on the go via the Dazn app on smart TVs, phones, tablets, gaming consoles and streaming devices.