Benfica announce squad for Club World Cup

Benfica have released their squad for this summers Club World Cup which is set to kick off Saturday in Miami. 

Benfica's first game of the tournament will be June 16 against Boca Juniors, followed by Auckland City on June 20 and their group stage wraps up June 24 against Bayern Munich.

Benfica Club World Cup Squad:

Keepers- Anatoliy Trubin, Andre Gomes, Diogo Ferreira

Defenders- Nico Otamendi, Antonio Silva, Alvaro Fernandez, Samuel Dahl, Leandro Santos, Joshua Wynder, Goncalo Oliveira, Adrian Bajrami

Midfielders- Orkun Kokcu, Florentino, Fredrik Aursnes, Leandro Barreiro, Renato Sanches, Rafael Luis, Joao Veloso, Diogo Prioste

Forwards- Vangelis Pavlidis, Angel di Maria, Andrea Belotti, Kerem Akturkoglu, Gianluca Prestianni, Andreas Schjelderup, Tiago Gouveia, Bruma, Joao Rego 

Botafogo land Benfica striker Arthur Cabral

Benfica have come to an agreement to sell striker Arthur Cabral to Botafogo for €12M with an additional €3M in potential incentives and will retain 10% on a future sale of the player. Botafogo have signed Cabral for the next three seasons and will have his services for the Club World Cup which is set to commence in the next couple of weeks.

Benfica acquired the 27 year old striker from Fiorentina in the summer of 2024 for €20.5M to replace outgoing starting striker Goncalo Ramos who was sold that same summer to PSG. Cabral could never become the striker the club was hoping for and had fallen down the pecking order of the club with the arrivals of Vangelis Pavlidis and Andrea Belotti.

Cabral appeared in 77 games for Benfica across all competitions scoring 18 goals while providing 5 helpers in 2,865 minutes of action with the majority of his game action coming at his first season with the club. Cabral did score two goals for the club in the Champions League over the past two seasons, both victories.

Cabral returns to his native Brazil where he last played in 2019 when he suited up with Palmeiras. Cabral came up through Brazilian clubs Ceara and Campinense and captured his only club trophy at the senior level this season when Benfica won the 2024-25 Taca da Liga earlier in the year.

Should Benfica make a move for Empoli midfielder Jacopo Fazzini

Benfica continue to look around as they try to strengthen their squad for the upcoming season and the club would be wise to add to its midfield this summer in a cost effective move that could pay dividends on the field and in their cash box.

With Empoli's relegation to Serie B this season it opens the doors to summer moves for many of its squad's players who are not looking to play division two football next season. One of the players that could be of interest to Benfica is midfielder Jacopo Fazzini.

Why Benfica should consider such a move for the 22 year old Fazzini comes down to his potential on both sides of the ball from the midfield position. Fazzini plays well in a box to box midfield and excels in high possession, high energy system as evidenced by Lazio's interest in him joining their club system.

Fazzini's age also fits well into Benfica's model of acquiring and investing time in young talent who can develop and contribute to the main club. The club hopes to bring out the best in a player like Fazzini and in doing so, sell the player for a profit to a bigger club in Europe.

Fazzini is currently with Italy's Under 21 squad as they prepare to play in this summers edition of the Euro U21 championship. The 22 year old scored six goals last season across all competitions for Empoli while providing one helper in 1,556 minutes of action. 

Benfica would be challenged by Italian clubs Lazio and Torino who have both been linked to the services of Fazzini and Empoli is said to be asking for around €15M to move on from a player that has been with the club since 2017.