2025 Club World Cup final: All you need to know, tactical analysis of both teams and how to watch

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The final for the inaugural FIFA Club World Cup is set.

After a valiant fight from teams across the globe, from South America, to the Middle East, to Africa, East Asia and Oceania, it is two European titans who collide in the showpiece final on Sunday, July 13.

Much has been made of the gruelling calendar the summer tournament has thrust upon its participants, but Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain have outlasted the rest in the searing American heat in their hunt for the trophy — and healthy prize fund on offer.

How did the teams get here?

Unfamiliar opponents have been a consistent theme through Chelsea’s run to the final. In four of their six matches in the Club World Cup, Chelsea have met their opponents for the first time in history. Only one side in their run, Benfica, they have met more than twice. But Enzo Maresca’s side handled their draw with relative ease.

Chelsea’s 3-1 defeat to Flamengo in the group stages proves the only blight on their record, having been a player down for the final 22 minutes of the match when Nicolas Jackson was sent off for a high challenge on Lucas Ayrton while 2-1 behind, for which he later apologised.

Their second-placed finish in Group D was ensured with comfortable victories over Los Angeles FC and Esperance Tunis. That seeding perhaps worked in their favour, drawing Benfica in the last 16 rather than facing Bayern Munich, who group victors Flamengo went on to suffer defeat against.

After Angel Di Maria’s stoppage-time penalty ensured the first knockout match would go the distance, Chelsea capitalised on Gianluca Prestianni’s sending off to notch three extra-time goals and continue in the tournament. A second-ever meeting with Palmeiras followed, with Cole Palmer’s early strike and a Weverton own-goal setting Maresca’s side up against yet more Brazilian opposition in the semi-final, Fluminense.

In a reunion with former defender Thiago Silva, Chelsea emerged 2-0 victors. Joao Pedro, who had signed for the club just a week prior, scored both goals against the team where his career began, sending his side to the final.

Joao Pedro had a Chelsea debut to remember (Buda Mendes/Getty Images)

PSG have continued where they left off following the record 5-0 victory over Inter in the Champions League final which capped off their treble-winning season.

Igor Jesus’ goal in the 1-0 defeat to Botafogo proved the only dent in the otherwise perfect defensive record held by Luis Enrique’s side, who dispatched Atletico Madrid 4-0 in their opener, and Seattle Sounders 2-0 in their final group match.

Four first-half goals were enough to see PSG oust Inter Miami, and their former star forward Lionel Messi from the tournament in the round-of-16.

A subsequent 2-0 victory over German champions Bayern Munich continued PSG’s run, despite receiving two red cards late on. Ousmane Dembele scored the second while his side was reduced to nine players, and his return from injury has been a timely reminder of his importance to the team this season.

The Parisians’ dominant run continued in the semi-finals as they effortlessly dispatched Real Madrid 4-0.

Dembele was on the scoresheet against Madrid (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

How to watch the final

Chelsea will face PSG at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Sunday, July 13, with kick-off slated for 3pm local time (8pm BST).

The 82,500-seater venue hosted one quarter-final (Madrid v Dortmund) and both semi-finals before Sunday’s showpiece, and indeed, will also host the final of next year’s FIFA World Cup, held in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

As was the case for every match as this year’s Club World Cup, the final is available to watch via DAZN providing you create an account. The final is also available to watch through TNT and truTV in the United States.

Tactical analysis of Chelsea

By Conor O’Neill

The knockout draw may have opened up kindly for Chelsea, with the European heavyweights on the other side, but Maresca’s men have taken full advantage, cruising through their semi-final 2-0 against Fluminense.

Tactically, Maresca has used the softer opposition as something of a testing ground, not just to trial ideas for next season, but also to embed new signings into his style of play on the fly.

But as the stakes have risen, the setup has taken on a more familiar shape. Talisman Cole Palmer, for instance, is back in his favoured right-half space after a spell on the left, and a more settled approach is expected as Chelsea gear up to take on the might of PSG/Real Madrid in Sunday’s final.

While personnel and positional responsibilities have been tinkered with, the core principles guiding their play have remained largely unchanged during their time in the US. The focus, as it was in the Premier League last season, is on maintaining controlled, methodical possession – Chelsea have played just 4.5 per cent of their passes long at the Club World Cup, the second-lowest rate behind Manchester City (3.4 per cent).

But when their patient probing approach does find an opening, they strike with speed and venom. Six of their goals have come from fast breaks, the highest in the competition, fleet-footed wideman Pedro Neto scoring three of them.

The most pressing question is who will be trusted to lead the line after new signing Joao Pedro sensationally lit up the semi-final with two stunning efforts. Joao Pedro’s versatility allows him to drop deep and help stitch attacks together, but Liam Delap and Nicolas Jackson remain potent alternatives if Maresca opts for a more traditional, backline-stretching No 9 on Sunday.

Tactical analysis of PSG

By Conor O’Neill

If PSG are crowned champions on Sunday, it will give a FIFA-approved rubber stamp to what many already consider the best team in the world. They remain a side capable of hurting opponents in countless ways, with 10 different goalscorers contributing across their Club World Cup campaign.

Their 4-0 evisceration of Inter Miami in the quarter-finals showcased that multifaceted brilliance. The technically gifted midfield trio of Joao Neves, Vitinha, and Fabian Ruiz controlled possession with ease, rendering Lionel Messi little more than an onlooker, while relentless pressing from the front saw them win the ball back almost instantly whenever it was lost.

Up top, the wide pairing of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Desire Doue have sparkled once again. Doue leads the tournament for attempted take-ons, with Kvaratskhelia close behind in third. Their quick feet, fluid movement inside, and constant rotations make them incredibly difficult to track and contain.

For all their attacking brilliance, PSG’s progression to the final has been built on a rock-solid defence, with just one goal conceded throughout the competition.

Luis Enrique has only lightly tinkered with their tactical approach en route to the final. And with the Parisians ruthlessly sweeping aside all before them in recent months, he’s little reason to disrupt a purring, seamless winning machine.

How much are tickets?

The Athletic has provided ongoing coverage of changes in ticket prices at the inaugural Club World Cup in the United States this year. For the semi-final between Chelsea and Fluminense, prices had originally been set at $473.90, but were later reduced to $13.40. This is not an isolated incident, with prices also slashed for other matches, including the other semi-final between Madrid and PSG, and some quarter-final matches.

The cheapest general admission tickets for the final are currently priced at $312.20, via Ticketmaster through FIFA’s official website. On the higher end of the pricing scale, the system also offers verified resale tickets in some prime positions of the stadium, varying from around $1,400 to $8,000.

How much prize money is on offer?

Whoever wins in East Rutherford will walk away from the summer tournament up to $125million (£92m) richer in participation and prize money. For whoever falls just short, their total will not be far off.

FIFA provided a $1billion prize pot for the tournament, shared out in differing proportions among its participants, and based on clubs’ progression.

UEFA clubs secured the larger slice of the pie with some clubs, namely Porto and Atletico Madrid, taking home a bigger sum than the likes of Al Hilal, Inter Miami and Monterrey, despite crashing out of the tournament sooner than their non-European counterparts.

Both finalists earned $30m just for making it to the tournament’s showcase final — an extra $10m for the winner is but a small percentage of their overall earnings.

The victor will not just walk away with money and a trophy, however. A commemorative badge, alike to that of the addition of a star for winning the regular World Cup, will adorn the kit of Sunday’s winner for the next four years.

A similar badge has been seen on Manchester City’s kit since they won the Club World Cup in its previous format in 2023, placed between the club emblem and Puma logo.

When is the next Club World Cup?

The introduction of the Club World Cup in its new form has not been short of challenges. And despite opposition from the likes of FIFPro, the global players’ union, the tournament is set to go ahead every four years.

The Athletic reported in December that FIFA was considering hosting its newest club competition in the U.S. once again in 2029, while in June, the Brazilian Football Federation (CBF) said in a statement its newly-elected president Sami Xaud held a meeting his FIFA counterpart Gianni Infantino over the possibility of holding the Club World Cup in the South American nation.

Meanwhile, James Johnson, Football Australia’s chief executive, told the Sydney Morning Herald in June 2023 that his country would consider bidding for the 2029 hosting rights.

(Top photo: Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images)

This news was originally published on this post .

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