Why Are Chelsea at the Club World Cup?

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Sports Illustrated FC

·12. Juni 2025

Why Are Chelsea at the Club World Cup?

Chelsea ended the 2024-25 season on a massive high note.

Not only did the Blues secure a fourth-place finish in the Premier League—clinching a spot in next season's Champions League—they also lifted the UEFA Europa Conference League trophy, defeating Real Betis in the final.

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With that win, Chelsea became the first club in history to have won all three of Europe’s major continental competitions, having previously claimed the Champions League and Europa League titles twice each.

Now, fresh off that strong finish, brimming with confidence, and bolstered by a few new signings—including striker Liam Delap—Enzo Maresca’s side are heading into the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.

The newly expanded tournament, now featuring 32 teams (up from the usual seven), comes with a staggering $1 billion prize pool and will be hosted across the United States, running from June 14 to July 13.

So why are Chelsea there? Let’s break it down.

How Did Chelsea Qualify for the 2025 Club World Cup?

Chelsea won the 2020-21 Champions League. / IMAGO/Prime Media Images

Chelsea earned their place at the 2025 Club World Cup by winning the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League.

Under the tournament’s old format, that wouldn’t have been enough. The previous setup featured just seven teams: the winners of each continental federation’s top club competition (like the UEFA Champions League or Concacaf Champions League), plus a host nation representative.

But with the revamped 32-team format, FIFA introduced a new qualification system based on club performances across a four-year period (2021–2024) in each confederation’s elite competitions. Tournament winners qualified automatically, while additional spots were handed to the best-performing teams based on consistency and results. If a team won more than once, their extra spot passed down to the next-highest ranked side.

UEFA, considered the strongest confederation, was allocated 12 places. These included the four most recent Champions League winners—Chelsea (2021), Real Madrid (2022 and 2024), and Manchester City (2023)—along with the next nine best-ranked clubs, with Madrid’s second title freeing up an extra slot.

Concacaf, which covers North and Central America and the Caribbean, received four spots. These went to the winners of the Concacaf Champions League from 2021 to 2024: Monterrey (2021), Seattle Sounders (2022), and Pachuca (2024). Club León were initially expected to qualify as 2023 winners, but their place was handed to Los Angeles FC after León were disqualified for breaching multi-club ownership rules.

The same format applied across the other confederations: CONMEBOL (South America) received six spots, the AFC (Asia) and CAF (Africa) were each given four, and the OFC (Oceania) one. The host nation, the United States, was granted one representative—Inter Miami.

Has Chelsea Played in the Club World Cup Before?

Chelsea won the Club World Cup in 2021. / IMAGO/Action Plus

Yes, Chelsea have appeared in the FIFA Club World Cup on two occasions prior to 2025.

The first was in 2012, following their historic maiden UEFA Champions League win in the 2011–12 season. That year, the Blues reached the final but fell short, losing 1–0 to Brazilian side Corinthians. The only goal of the match came from Peruvian striker Paolo Guerrero.

Their second appearance came in 2021, earned through their 2020–21 Champions League triumph. This time, Chelsea went all the way, defeating Palmeiras 2–1 in the final. Kai Havertz—who had also scored the winner in the Champions League final—converted a penalty deep into extra time to secure Chelsea’s first Club World Cup title.

What Can Chelsea Expect at the 2025 Club World Cup?

LAFC and Olivier Giroud are in Chelsea's Club World Cup group. / IMAGO/ZUMA Press Wire

Chelsea have been drawn into Group D at the 2025 Club World Cup, alongside Brazilian giants Flamengo, Tunisian champions Espérance de Tunis, and Major League Soccer's LAFC.

Each team brings a different challenge, with contrasting styles and recent success at continental level. Interestingly, the group stage will also see Chelsea reunited with a few familiar faces.

LAFC are led by former Blue Olivier Giroud, while Flamengo recently signed Italian midfielder Jorginho—one of the key figures in Chelsea’s 2020–21 Champions League triumph. Jorginho, who placed third in that year’s Ballon d'Or voting, joined the Brazilian club in June.

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As for Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea side, the tournament offers a chance to build on the momentum from a strong end to the 2024–25 season. It also provides an ideal stage to blood fresh talent. Expect minutes for new signing Liam Delap, the returning Andrey Santos—back from a standout season at RC Strasbourg—and highly rated Portuguese prospect Dário Essugo.

If Chelsea are to progress beyond the group stage, their star players will need to step up. Cole Palmer and Enzo Fernández are likely to be central figures, especially with European heavyweights like Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, and Atlético Madrid potentially waiting in the knockout rounds.

Also in the mix are Inter Miami, meaning a possible showdown with the legendary Lionel Messi—still a privilege for any player to experience, no matter their age or experience.