Inside the Data: 9 Ways Opta Powered 2025 FIFA Club World Cup Storytelling

Editorial & Media Storytelling

1. BBC Sport: Spotlighting Tournament Favourites with the Opta Supercomputer

Ahead of the knockout stages of the tournament, BBC Sport turned to the Opta supercomputer to preview the path to the final – using predictive probabilities to break down each team’s chances and add statistical weight to its coverage. The model’s blend of historical performance, team strength and live data offered a unique way to frame storylines and generate fan debate.

BBC Sport’s use of the predictions was part of a wider trend across global leading outlets, with DAZN, Sports Illustrated, OneFootball and Yahoo Sports all using the model to bring probability-driven insights into their tournament coverage.

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2. Flashscore: Real-Time Graphics and Match Momentum Visuals

Flashscore’s coverage of the semi-final clash between Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid was a standout example of how data can enhance real-time match storytelling, with stunning visuals. Using Opta Graphics, their team produced more than 50 visuals during the match – from heat maps and shot charts, to newly-integrated Live Win Probability and Momentum graphics.

These assets offered fans a second-by-second breakdown of how the match unfolded, making it easy to track momentum swings and game-defining moments with pinpoint accuracy, all on their app.

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3. The Athletic: Ranking the Field with Data-Driven Precision

The Athletic used Opta Power Rankings to create a complete, data-driven snapshot of the tournament field. A full ranking of all 32 teams gave readers context around the relative strengths of each club, while a dedicated preview for each side added historical and statistical depth.

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4. L’Equipe: Contextualising Results with Data

France’s premier sports daily used the Opta Power Rankings to help explain the scale of Auckland City’s 0-10 loss to Bayern Munich, comparing the New Zealand team’s level to clubs in France’s fifth tier. The same tool was later reused in a wider piece evaluating the strength of non-European sides across the tournament. In fact, the Opta Power Rankings featured heavily in media all around the world as storytellers sought to contextualise match-ups between teams that had never played each other before.

5. USA Today: Real-Time Coverage with Opta Stream

USA Today enhanced its digital match coverage with Opta Stream, delivering fans real-time, data-rich updates across every Club World Cup fixture. By integrating the AI-powered solution into match articles, readers could follow the action as it unfolded – from goal alerts and player stats to dynamic context around key moments.

Powered by automated, low-latency event data, Opta Stream fed match reports with continuous insights such as expected goals (xG), shot maps and team momentum swings. With seamless updates delivered directly from Opta’s data feed, the tool enabled USA Today to scale timely, high-quality content across its platform without added editorial lift.

Betting Platforms & Sportsbooks

6. Kaizen Gaming: Predicted Lineups Powering Betano Brazil

Kaizen Gaming integrated Opta Predicted Lineups directly into the Betano Brazil sportsbook, allowing bettors to view anticipated starters a day in advance – typically information that is released an hour before kickoff. The feature linked lineups to odds across multiple markets – including goals, assists and cards – and even supported betting on substitutes, offering a more flexible and intuitive experience.

7. bet365: Data-Powered Markets and Stats Integration

bet365, one of the world’s leading sportsbooks used Opta data to power both player markets and stats-based settlement throughout the tournament. In addition to market creation, live match data was surfaced within the user interface – enriching in-play betting and delivering a more complete user experience.

8. Dibz: In-App Betting Game Enhanced with Opta Insights

In its innovative in-app experience, Dibz used live Opta insights and match stats to help fans make smarter, more informative predictions – blending real-time data with gamified design to drive sustained engagement.

Club Coverage

9. Chelsea FC: Data-Driven Storytelling from Group Stage to Glory

Following their dominant 3-0 win over Paris St. Germain in the final, Chelsea worked with Stats Perform’s data editorial team to deliver post-match content that celebrated key players and key moments throughout their run. Features underpinned by Opta data highlighted Cole Palmer, who was named Player of the Tournament, and Robert Sánchez, awarded Best Goalkeeper.

Throughout the competition, Stats Perform supports Chelsea with pre-match facts, editorial assets and end-of-tournament wrap-up content, keeping fans informed and engaged from start to finish.

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Conclusion

The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup made one thing clear: in today’s crowded media landscape, it’s not enough to simply report what happened. Fans, bettors and publishers expect more – deeper insights, sharper context and content that keeps up with the speed of the game.

Whether on social media, inside apps or embedded in editorial coverage, data became the thread connecting every moment, and Opta’s data and Stats Perform’s storytelling tools helped deliver that edge.

With the 2026 FIFA World Cup World less than a year out, the demand for smarter, faster and more interactive content continues to grow. The next wave of football storytelling is here – and it’s powered by Opta.