The last hurrah of Chelsea’s remarkable 2024/25 campaign is Sunday’s FIFA Club World Cup 2025 showdown with Paris Saint-Germain back on the banks of the Hudson River, an 8pm kick-off (UK time) at East Rutherford, New Jersey’s 82,500-capacity MetLife Stadium.

Chelsea and PSG both qualified for the tournament by winning the UEFA Champions League, the Londoners in 2021 for the second time, the Parisians this year for their first. And at this summer's Club World Cup, both have won every game except a group loss to Brazilian opponents.

England’s standard-bearers punched their ticket to the global showpiece on Tuesday with two shots of pure class from Joao Pedro against former club Fluminense, the last competitors from his country of birth.

Then 24 hours later, the big beasts of Real Madrid failed to hurt Luis Enrique’s formidable force a day later.

Sunday will be the Londoners’ third ever appearance in a Club World Cup final and a debut for the champions of France.

The rampant lion has now roared to 30 major finals in the past thirty years and so far won 18 of them. Concluding on a high would confirm the amazing growth evident in this young group over the course of the season.

Victory would also mean the Blues have claimed every major international trophy twice, except the Conference League, of which we are holders, and the winners are also entitled to wear ‘Champions Of The World’ shirt badges for the next four years.

Know this…

So far the 62 games of the Club World Cup have produced 192 goals – with Chelsea’s Joao Pedro’s unique for having netted against a former club.

Enzo Fernandez leads the way on assists in the tournament with three, two of them for new signings – Liam Delap against Esperance and Joao Pedro’s versus Fluminense.

Until Joao Pedro struck twice against his boyhood club, no Chelsea player had netted two goals over their first two appearances for the club since Diego Costa in August 2014.

In the semi-final Cole Palmer became only the second player in this year’s tournament (after Aït-Nouri for Man City) to create three chances while achieving 100 per cent passing accuracy.

Paris Saint-Germain have squandered possession 76 times, the joint-most of any club along with Real Madrid.

The Parisians have scored ten first-half goals, while the Blues are yet to concede before the break in any match.

Enzo Maresca’s side have attempted 100 shots on goal while in the USA, more than any other club.

The Londoners have averaged twice as many though-balls to forwards (6) as PSG (3) and scored four goals from rapid counterattacks compared to the French side’s two.

Chelsea’s 14 goals have been scored by ten different players (excluding opponents finding their own net); Joao Pedro is the 14th Blues player to net at a Club World Cup.

No other London club has ever competed in the FIFA Club World Cup.

This is match 64 of the 2024/25 season for the Blues, the joint-second most fixtures of any campaign in our history. The most is 69 during the 2012/13 campaign, when we competed in the Champions League group stage, Europa League and Club World Cup.

Chelsea all-time scorers at the Club World Cup

Pedro Neto - 3
Joao Pedro - 2
Romelu Lukaku - 2
Tosin Adarabioyo - 1
Liam Delap - 1
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall - 1
Enzo Fernandez - 1
Tyrique George - 1
Kai Havertz - 1
Reece James - 1
Juan Mata - 1
Christopher Nkunku - 1
Cole Palmer - 1
Fernando Torres - 1
Own goals - 2

Chelsea-PSG – the history

Chelsea’s second European opponents of the campaign are among our most common adversaries in UEFA competitions, starting with two-goal Didier Drogba helping us to a 3-0 group stage on 14 September 2004.

This will be the ninth rendezvous between the Blues and the Red-and-Blues, the first outside the Champions League and the fourth in a knockout setting.

The past three ties came in successive seasons around a decade ago, beginning with two quarter-final legs in April 2014. Although the Londoners lost 3-1 at Parc-des-Princes, Eden Hazard’s first-half penalty proved vital.

Around the half-hour mark, unmarked after a surprise long throw, André Schürrle swept home to halve the visitors’ advantage.

The German only came on because Hazard had been injured but there was inspiration aplenty, Frank Lampard and Willian both striking the metalwork in search of a second.

With three minutes of normal time remaining Demba Ba pounced to turn home and eliminate his hometown club on the old away goals rule. ‘Champions of Europe,’ serenaded the Bridge, ‘we’ve done it before.’

The following season Paris gained revenge in the round of 16 despite Zlatan Ibrahimovic's early red card. After a 1-1 in the French capital, a cagey second leg exploded into life with ten to go when Gary Cahill lashed in after a corner.

Then two Parisian set-play headers – by past and future Blues David Luiz and Thiago Silva – eliminated Jose Mourinho’s side after extra time despite Hazard’s penalty after Silva handled.

The trilogy was completed during a forgettable 2015/16 season for the Blues, PSG advancing to the quarter-finals 4-2 on aggregate, winning both legs 2-1.

This will be Luis Enrique’s eighth encounter with English opposition in 2025. He previously oversaw five wins (Man City, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Arsenal twice) and two losses (Liverpool, Villa) against our Premier League rivals in the Champions League.

English clubs in Intercontinental Cup/Club World Cup finals

1968 Estudiantes (Argentina) 2–1 Manchester Utd
1980 Nacional (Uruguay) 1–0 Nottingham Forest
1981 Flamengo (Brazil) 3–0 Liverpool
1982 Peñarol (Uruguay) 2–0 Aston Villa
1984 Independiente (Argentina) 1–0 Liverpool
1999 Manchester Utd 1–0 Palmeiras (Brazil)
2005 Sao Paulo (Brazil) 1–0 Liverpool
2008 Manchester Utd 1–0 Quito (Ecuador)
2012 Corinthians (Brazil) 1–0 Chelsea
2019 Liverpool 1–0 Flamengo (Brazil)
2021 Chelsea 2-1 Palmeiras (Brazil)
2023 Man City 4-0 Fluminense (Brazil)
2025 Chelsea vs Fluminense (Brazil)

2025 Club World Cup regulations

Should this final tie be level when normal playing time expires, two 15-minute periods of extra time will be played followed, if required, by a penalty shoot-out.

As usual five replacements are allowed per match (a sixth in extra time), plus concussion replacements.

Goal-line technology, VAR, a new Advanced Semi-Automated Offside system alerting assistant referees to raise their flag immediately for clear offsides, and referee body-cams are used in this competition.

No players will miss the final for accruing cautions in two games. The slate was wiped clean of single yellow cards after the quarter-finals. Liam Delap and Levi Colwill are back after their semi-final suspension.

How to buy Club World Cup final tickets

Tickets for our FIFA Club World Cup final in New Jersey are following the same process as previous matches and are available to buy now.

These are available on a first-come-first-served basis and fans can each purchase up to 10 tickets for the match, with the sales window for Play-off Club Fan tickets open until 10am ET on Saturday 12 July and ticket returns/resale will not be available during this sales period. Hospitality tickets are also available.

The match can also be watch around the world for free on DAZN. Sign up for free here.