The Latest: Chelsea faces Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup final

By Canadian Press on July 13, 2025.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N,J. (AP) — Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea square off in the final of the Club World Cup at MetLife Stadium on Sunday with the chance to become the first winner of the newly expanded tournament. Kickoff is 3 p.m. Eastern time.

Thirty-two teams from around the world entered the competition but it ends with an all-European final. PSG is reigning Champions League winner, having routed Inter Milan 5-0 in that title match. Chelsea won the third-tier UEFA Conference League in May.

The French champion is the favorite, having beaten Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid on its path to the final. But Chelsea is a rising force under manager Enzo Maresca. The Premier League club has qualified for the Champions League for the first time in three years, as well as winning the Conference League.

Here’s the latest:

PSG keeps same lineup that routed Real Madrid

No changes for PSG from the team that beat Real Madrid 4-0 in the semifinals. That front three of Desire Doue, Ousmane Dembele and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is enough to give defenders nightmares.

PSG’s lineup: Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Beraldo, Nuno Mendes; Joao Neves, Ruiz, Vitinha; Doue, Dembele, Kvaratskhelia.

João Pedro starts for Chelsea after scoring twice in semifinals

Chelsea’s lineup is out already and new signing João Pedro starts again after his two-goal performance in the team’s 2-0 semifinal victory over Fluminense.

Could he take the golden boot for the tournament after only two starts? Four players share the lead on four goals apiece — none of whom are in the final.

Chelsea’s lineup: Sanchez; Gusto, Chalobah, Colwill, Cucurella, James; Caicedo, Enzo, Palmer, Neto; Joao Pedro.

No Mbappe, no problem for PSG

Not even the most optimistic of PSG fans could have expected things to so well in the post-Kylian Mbappe era.

The French superstar’s move to Real Madrid last year preceded the greatest season in club history.

PSG finally won its first Champions League title. Weeks later, it can cap it off with the world title.

Mbappe, meanwhile, despite enjoying an outstanding individual campaign at Madrid, ended his first year in Spain with the club relinquishing its Spanish and European titles. He also had to endure a 4-0 loss to PSG in the Club World Cup semifinals.

Top scorer goes to … Fabian Ruiz? PSG midfielder leading the pack

PSG’s Fabian Ruiz, better known for his defensive qualities in midfield, is an unlikely contender for the tournament’s top scorer.

He is on three goals and another in the final would see him move level with Gonzalo Garcia (Real Madrid), Angel Di Maria (Benfica), Serhou Guirassy (Borussia Dortmund) and Marcos Leonardo (Al-Hilal) at the top.

But keep an eye on PSG forward Ousmane Dembele, who has scored 32 times this season and is on two for the tournament.

Chelsea’s Pedro Neto is also on three goals and in contention for the golden boot, while new teammate Joao Pedro made an instant impact for his new club with two goals in the 2-0 semifinal victory over Fluminense.

MetLife history: Messi’s Meadowlands hat trick against Brazil in 2012

Lionel Messi dazzled for Argentina when they faced Brazil in an international friendly at MetLife Stadium in June 2012.

His 85th-minute winner completed a hat trick in a 4-3 victory in a match that drew just under 82,000 fans.

Messi is still going, though his Inter Miami team was rudely ousted from the Club World Cup in a 4-0 loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16 two weeks ago.

Is a Meadowlands encore in store? Messi led Argentina to the 2022 World Cup title and he’s still playing for the national team.

MetLife Stadium will also host final of 2026 World Cup

MetLife will host another big game a year from now — next summer’s World Cup final.

It was selected to host final scheduled for July 19, 2026, in what will be the culmination of an expanded 48-nation, 104-game tournament.

The United States is hosting with Mexico and Canada.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones had lobbied for the final to be at his AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

MetLife Stadium facts and figures

Some things to know about the stadium where today’s match will be played:

It cost $1.6 billion to construct and opened in 2010.

It is the home of two NFL teams — the New York Giants and New York Jets — even though it’s located in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Capacity for soccer and NFL games is 82,500.

It’s located 10 miles west of Manhattan.

It hosted the Super Bowl on Feb. 2, 2014 when the Seattle Seahawks beat the Denver Broncos 43-8. The NFL rarely holds its marque event at an outdoor stadium in a cold-weather city.

Corinthians the last non-European team to win Club World Cup

It is no surprise that it’s an all-European final, given the continent’s recent dominance of this competition. European teams have won the past 11 editions when it was still just a seven-team mini tournament.

The last non-European team to win was Corinthians. The Brazilian club won the title in 2012 by beating Chelsea 1-0 in the final.

How PSG and Chelsea got to the final

Both teams have identical records on their way to the final. They both won twice and lost once in the group phase.

PSG, however, has been explosive in front of goal — blowing away Atletico Madrid, Inter Miami and Real Madrid. And the French team has allowed just one goal all tournament.

In the group stage PSG beat Atletico 4-0, lost to Botafogo 1-0, and beat Seattle 2-0. They topped Lionel Messi’s squad 4-0, then blanked Bayern Munich 2-0 to reach the semifinals, where they downed Real Madrid 4-0.

Chelsea in the group stage beat LAFC 2-0, lost to Flamengo 3-1, and beat ES Tunis 3-0.

The Premier League club then eliminated Benfica 4-1 (after extra time), beat Palmeiras 2-1 in the quarterfinals and defeated Fluminense 2-0 to get to the championship match.

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

The Associated Press