'The future is for them' but Jobe and Jude Bellingham won't meet in FIFA Club World Cup quarter-finals as Borussia Dortmund face Real Madrid
Published 02/07/2025 at 09:46 GMT+1
With Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid both advancing to the quarter-finals of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, a meeting between the Bellingham brothers looked to be on the cards. However, Jude and Jobe will not be facing off when Dortmund and Madrid meet on Saturday. Dortmund head coach Niko Kovac said it is a "bonus" for his side to make the quarters and they have "overperformed".
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It would have been one of the standout moments of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup so far.
Jude Bellingham v Jobe Bellingham in the quarter-finals as Real Madrid face Borussia Dortmund.
"The future is for them," said Dortmund head coach Niko Kovac about the brothers.
But there will only be one brother playing in the quarter-finals of this competition.
Why Jobe Bellingham won't face Jude
A Bellingham quarter-final looked on the cards as Dortmund took a 2-0 victory in their last 16 clash with Monterrey through early goals from Serhou Guirassy.
But a booking in the 28th minute ended the prospect.
Bellingham’s foul on Nelson Deossa earned him his second yellow card of the tournament and a suspension for the next game.
Bellingham was also booked in the 28th minute of Dortmund's 1-0 group-stage win over South Korean side Ulsan HD.
"I think we all saw that he was very disappointed," said Dortmund head coach Kovac.
"I think he did not exactly know that the second yellow card is a suspension at half-time. He was a little bit surprised."
With both Dortmund and Real Madrid competing in the UEFA Champions League next season, Kovac said there will be more opportunities for the Bellingham brothers to meet.
"He's [Jobe] young, his brother is also young, so I'm convinced they will face each other, maybe next season in the Champions League, and then [in] the future. The future is for them."
Bellingham joined Dortmund this summer from Sunderland and scored on his first appearance for the club.
Jude also played for Dortmund from 2020 to 2023 before moving to Real Madrid.
Kovac explained that he took Jobe off in the 55th minute to avoid any chance of a red card.
"I substituted him not because of his performance. I changed because he had a yellow card in this game, and you saw we had some very intensive duels, and I did not want that someone is maybe then booked twice."
Dortmund have 'overperformed' to make quarters
Dortmund and Madrid will meet in New Jersey on Saturday, with the winner playing either Paris Saint-Germain or Bayern Munich in the semi-finals.
Kovac said it is a "bonus" for his side to make the quarters, and they are relishing the challenge of facing Madrid.
"We are happy. I think we overperformed," he admitted.
"We passed the group stage. This is now on top. This is a bonus for us, and now playing against the biggest team and biggest club in the world is a good challenge.
"I think that for us, Borussia Dortmund, and also for German football as a whole, this is a big, big deal.
"We're looking forward to it, but you have to play football for 90 minutes, and if we put everything onto the pitch, same performance as we saw today, I think that we will have a good chance."
Chelsea face Brazilian side Palmeiras in the early hours of Saturday morning UK time.
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