Who: Paris Saint-Germain vs Chelsea
What: 2025 FIFA Club World Cup final
Where: Metlife Stadium, New Jersey, United States
When: Sunday, July 12, at 3pm ET (19:00 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from noon ET (16:00 GMT) in advance of our live text commentary stream.
Fresh from their first European crown, Paris Saint-Germain go in search of the most lucrative prize in club football as they face Chelsea in the final of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup (CWC).
FIFA, football’s global governing body, has pulled out all the stops to present this tournament as the most prestigious trophy in the club game.
Al Jazeera Sport takes a look at a match that could top a stellar season for the Parisians or could kick-start the reboot of one of the teams that had previously sought global domination, Chelsea.
How did PSG reach the CWC final?
Following their 5-0 demolition of Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League final, the Parisians pulled off another great achievement by beating the record Club World Cup and European Cup winners Real Madrid 4-0 in the semifinals of this year’s edition.
Fabian Ruiz scored on either side of an Ousmane Dembele strike to set PSG on their way in the first half, before Goncalo Ramos rounded matters off with three minutes remaining of normal time.
PSG had already overcome Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami and Bayern Munich in the knockout stages, while topping their group following wins against Atletico Madrid and Seattle Sounders, and a defeat by Botafogo.
How did Chelsea reach the CWC final?
The Blues overcame Brazilian opposition in the last two rounds, beating Fluminense 2-0 in the semifinal and Palmeiras 2-1 in the quarters.
The round of 16 provided a much stiffer test with Benfica, after a two-hour lightning delay, coming back onto the field with four minutes remaining of normal time and levelling the match through Angel di Maria’s penalty.
Reece James had given the Blues the lead in the 64th minute from a freekick, but Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall added to Chelsea’s tally in extra time to seal a 4-1 win.
Wins against Los Angeles and ES Tunis straddled a defeat by Flamengo in the group stage.
What happened the last time PSG met Chelsea?
The Parisians claimed a 2-1 win in London in March 2016. Adrien Rabiot and Zlatan Ibrahimovic netted before and after Diego Costa’s strike for the Blues.
It capped a 4-2 aggregate win in the knockout stages of that season’s UEFA Champions League.
What the managers said
Enzo Maresca, Chelsea head coach: “It is a great achievement. It has been a fantastic season – top four in the Premier League, Conference League and now in the final of this competition. We are so, so happy. We go game by game. Finally, we have the last game of the season and hopefully, we can win the tournament.”
Luis Enrique, head coach of Paris Saint-Germain, spoke about his side’s quest to add to the European crown and domestic double they sealed last season. “We are in a special season, a special moment, and we have one more step against a very good team like Chelsea,” Enrique said. “Now it’s time to prepare. We want to make history for our club.”
Head-to-head
This is the ninth meeting between the sides with PSG claiming victory on three occasions, while Chelsea have won twice and there have been three draws.
The first encounter came in the Champions League group stage in September 2004. The Blues won 3-0 in Paris, with the return fixture resulting in a 0-0 draw.
The Londoners have not won in the last four meetings, with PSG winning twice in that time.
PSG team news
Willian Pacho and Lucas Hernandez are both once again suspended, having both been shown straight reds in the quarterfinal win against Bayern.
Ousmane Dembele returned from a knock to face Real in the semis and managed the first hour of the game. The French forward is expected to be fit to start once again in the final.
Chelsea team news
The Blues may have a number of selection dilemmas heading into the final.
Central defender Levi Colwill and striker Liam Delap are both available, having both served one-game bans for picking up their second yellow cards of the tournament in the quarterfinals.
Reece James was only fit enough to make the bench in the semifinals but is pushing to be fit for a starting return. Moises Caicedo sustained an ankle injury late in the last-four win against Fluminense and is a doubt for the match with PSG.
Predicted PSG starting lineup
Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Beraldo, Nuno Mendes; Vitinha, Joao Neves, Fabian Ruiz; Doue, Dembele, Kvaratskhelia.
Predicted Chelsea starting lineup
Sanchez; James, Chalobah, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez, Nkunku; Palmer, Neto; Joao Pedro.
