FIFA Club World Cup 2025: Chelsea beat Paris Saint-Germain to claim ultimate crown

The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup began with 32 clubs across six confederations in June. Finally, we have the winning side, with Chelsea decimating Paris Saint-Germain 3–0 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey in the final to become world champions.

The revamped CWC format divided the 32 teams into eight groups, with top two teams from each group qualifying for the knockout rounds.

Here, we look at the two teams’ road to the final, recap the final, and speculate about what we can expect from them in the upcoming season.  

Chelsea’s road to the final

Chelsea were placed in Group D alongside Flamengo, Los Angeles FC, and ES Tunis. They won two group encounters, while suffering a shock 3–1 loss to Flamengo.

Finishing second in the group, Chelsea beat Benfica 4–1 in the Round of 16, Palmeiras 2–1 in the quarter-finals, and Fluminense 2–0 in the semi-finals to storm into the final.

PSG’s road to the final

In comparison, the Parisians had a tougher route. Placed in Group B alongside Botafogo, Atlético Madrid, and Seattle Sounders, they decimated Atleti 4–0 in the opening game before suffering a shock 1–0 loss to Botafogo, then won their last game against the Sounders to top the group.

In the knockouts, they beat Inter Miami 4–0 in the Round of 16, Bayern Munich 2–0 in the quarter-finals, and thrashed Real Madrid 4–0 in the semi-finals to romp into the final.

FIFA CWC 2025 final recap: Chelsea FC 3–0 Paris Saint-Germain FC

Going into the final, the recently crowned UEFA Champions League winners were the overwhelming favourites to win the CWC trophy based on recent form and overall quality of players. However, Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca got his tactics spot on to ensure his side beat PSG emphatically to claim the title.

Two goals from Cole Palmer and one from new signing João Pedro in an eventful first half firmly put PSG on the back foot — and they never recovered from the shock. Palmer was at the heart of every Chelsea attack in what was a phenomenal first-half performance from the Blues.

The Englishman first missed a great chance from the edge of the box inside ten minutes but made up for it in the 21st minute. Nuno Mendes gave possession to Malo Gusto, who charged towards the box, but his attempt at goal was blocked. However, the clearance fell back to Gusto, who found Palmer in the box; this time, he made no mistake, slotting the ball calmly into the left post.

Eight minutes later, Palmer latched on to a superb through ball from Levi Colwill, cut inside, and went past the PSG defenders to fire into the bottom-left corner and double Chelsea’s advantage. He then turned provider for the third goal in the 42nd minute, running up the pitch and finding new signing Pedro, who dinked the ball over Gianluigi Donnarumma into the empty net.

At the other end, Ousmane Dembélé had a shot saved by Robert Sánchez five minutes after the break. Chelsea had another chance through Liam Delap in the 67th minute, but his curled effort from the edge of the box was saved by Donnarumma at full stretch. Things got worse for a frustrated PSG side, however, as in the 85th minute midfielder João Neves was sent off for pulling Marc Cucurella’s hair outside the Chelsea box. The recent winners of the UEFA Europa Conference League ended up winning the match without conceding a goal against the European champions.

What next for the two sides in the coming season?

No one expected this young Chelsea side to win the Club World Cup, especially given the fact that they haven’t been at the summit of English football in recent seasons.

However, head coach Enzo Maresca has been transformational for this Blues outfit. They were consistent in the Premier League and qualified for the UEFA Champions League next season by finishing fourth, having also won the UEFA Europa Conference League. The Club World Cup crown marks a remarkably successful end to Maresca’s first season at Stamford Bridge.

Along with the addition of several talented young players like Liam Delap, Estêvão Willian, and João Pedro to bolster their attack, Chelsea are also looking disciplined at the back. While the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City, and Arsenal are the ones being considered early contenders for the Premier League crown next season, Chelsea could very well prove to be a threat both in the English top flight as well as the UEFA Champions League in the coming term. 

PSG, on the other hand, secured a historic treble last season by finally adding the UCL crown to a well-laden trophy cabinet alongside the Ligue 1 and Coupe de France titles. While they did look leggy in the CWC final, they have otherwise been, without a doubt, the best team in Europe. Under the inspired leadership of Luis Enrique, there is no doubt they will be challenging for all big trophies next season.