Chelsea finally discover Club World Cup opponents as former star, 38, assists dramatic winner to set up reunion

Published on June 01, 2025 at 05:54 PM

CHELSEA have finally discovered their final Club World Cup opponent - thanks to a dramatic late winner created by one of their former stars.

The champions head to the US this summer to take part in the newly-expanded tournament.

Cole Palmer of Chelsea lifts the UEFA Conference League trophy.
Conference League champs Chelsea have discovered their final Club World Cup opponent

already knew they were going to be facing Brazilian side Flamengo and Tunisian team Esperance Sportive de Tunis in the group stage.

However, their third and final opponent remained unknown after due to Fifa’s multi-club ownership rules.

Fellow Liga MX side CF Pachuca - also owned by Grupo Pachuca - had already qualified for the , forcing Leon to withdraw.

And it meant that another Mexican side, Club America, were handed a dramatic playoff against MLS club LAFC.

The Americans were trailing 1-0 with just minutes to go when they equalised in the 89th minute.

LAFC then scored an amazing winner in the 115th minute through Denis Bouanga, with former Chelsea star and Champions League winner Olivier Giroud creating the goal for 2-1.

Now, the Frenchman will face his former side with LAFC in the opening group stage game on June 16.

Chelsea will then play Flamengo four days later on June 20.

And five days after that, on June 25, Chelsea end their group stage experience against Esperance.

The Club World Cup will be one of the most lucrative tournaments going, with the winner set to bank a mind-blowing £100million.

LAFC soccer players huddle together on the field.
Chelsea will take on LAFC and former striker Olivier Giroud
Soccer players celebrating a goal.
He bagged a late assist as LAFC dramatically beat Club America in a playoff

And Chelsea will be desperate to keep the good times rolling after ending a three-year trophy drought against Real Betis on Wednesday.

The Blues came back from a goal down to win 4-1 in Warsaw.

It came just days after they secured a fourth-place finish to qualify for next season’s Champions League.

And new signings are already inbound, with Chelsea reportedly beating Manchester United, Newcastle and Everton in the race for £30m Ipswich striker Liam Delap.

Olivier Giroud of Chelsea celebrating with the Champions League trophy.
Giroud won the Champions League during his time at Stamford Bridge

Prev Article

Erinque becomes 7th manager to win Champions League trophy with two clubs [Full list]

Next Article

Three months after attacks, Edo communities lament Okpebholo’s unfulfilled promises

Related to this topic:

Comments (0):

Be the first to write a comment.

Post Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

GDPR Compliance

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies, Privacy Policy, and Terms of Service.

Search

Newsletter image

Subscribe to the Newsletter

Join 10k+ people to get notified about new posts, news and tips.

Do not worry we don't spam!