Chelsea made history by becoming the inaugural champions of the revamped FIFA Club World Cup, securing a resounding 3-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the final held at the MetLife Stadium, New Jersey.
A first-half double from Cole Palmer set the tone, halting PSG’s hopes of completing an unprecedented clean sweep of trophies in the 2024/25 season.
Despite early setbacks during the group stages—where both sides lost to Brazilian opposition—the two European powerhouses recovered to surge through the knockout rounds, setting the stage for an electrifying finale just outside New York City.
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Joao Pedro, instrumental in Chelsea’s semi-final triumph, spearheaded the attack. The London club almost drew first blood in the eighth minute when Palmer’s shot, slightly redirected by Lucas Beraldo, veered just wide.
PSG then tested Chelsea’s backline, coming close to unlocking the defense when Désiré Doué slipped a pass toward Achraf Hakimi, only to be denied by a last-ditch intervention from Marc Cucurella.
Chelsea, under Enzo Maresca’s tactical stewardship, responded with unwavering intensity. Their pressing game and fluid attack overwhelmed PSG, with Palmer producing two moments of brilliance.
The first came after a well-timed layoff from Malo Gusto, while the second saw Palmer dance past defenders before calmly slotting home, leaving the French side stunned.
The crowd, energized by iconic announcer Michael Buffer’s introduction, witnessed PSG struggle to regain composure following the double blow.
Chelsea’s third arrived courtesy of Palmer once again, who turned provider this time—threading a perfect pass to Joao Pedro, who chipped Gianluigi Donnarumma with finesse, delivering a lethal final blow to PSG’s European superiority, which had seen them knock out Liverpool and Arsenal en route to this stage.
Any hopes of a second-half resurgence by PSG were dashed by Chelsea keeper Robert Sanchez, who pulled off outstanding saves to deny efforts from Ousmane Dembele and Vitinha. Donnarumma, too, had his moment, keeping out a fierce drive from substitute Liam Delap.
Frustration mounted on the PSG bench as Chelsea’s relentless pressing kept them pinned. Matters worsened for the Parisians when João Neves was shown a straight red card for pulling Cucurella’s distinctive hair with just six minutes left.
Having secured the UEFA Conference League title in May—marking their first major silverware since lifting the Club World Cup in 2021—Chelsea’s renaissance under Maresca continued, capped off by another significant trophy.
Alongside global recognition, the Blues walk away with over £90 million in prize earnings. PSG, meanwhile, fall short in their bid to replicate Barcelona’s 2015 quadruple feat of winning the domestic league, cup, UEFA Champions League, and Club World Cup in a single season.
