Chelsea defeated Paris St Germain 3-0 to win the FIFA Club World Cup on Sunday in New York
The Blues shocked the entire world by putting three goals past the French champions in the first half, and they could have scored more. After the whole world wrote Chelsea off, Chelsea produced a powerful performance to nullify PSG’s strengths and win the new FIFA Club World Cup. Here are three things we learned from the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup:
Chelsea Are Underrated
Going into this tournament, not many gave Chelsea a fighting chance against teams like City, PSG, Real Madrid, etc. The guise of playing against teams like Copenhagen, Noah, and Real Betis in the UEFA Europa Conference League led people to underrate the sheer talent in this Chelsea team.
The Blues not only matched PSG—they outperformed them. In midfield, Moises Caicedo stood monumental for the Blues: blocking, breaking up play, and frustrating the likes of Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz, and Joao Neves.
This win sends a warning from Chelsea to their prospective Champions League opponents next season. If Chelsea can master performances like that, they will go far in the Champions League next season.
PSG are Beatable
For the better part of the last three months, fans perceived PSG to be the best club in the world. During that time, they defeated Manchester City, Arsenal (twice), Liverpool, Inter Milan, Atlético Madrid, and Real Madrid. Their relentless pressing worked wonders and earned them their first Champions League trophy.
For most of the last three months, no team found a way to nullify PSG’s pressing threat—until they faced Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea.
Chelsea focused on PSG’s weaknesses and amplified their own strengths in the areas of the pitch where PSG tend to struggle.
PSG acted cautiously and avoided pressing Chelsea too radically because the Blues could play out comfortably and also had a goalkeeper who could pick out a pass from range.
Whenever PSG overcommitted, Chelsea opened them up by overloading the right wing with Cole Palmer, Malo Gusto, and even Joao Pedro at times—and it worked wonders. Two Chelsea goals came from the right-hand side. The Blues proved that with the right approach, PSG are very beatable.
The FIFA Club World Cup Needs Proper Planning, But It’s A Beautiful Tournament
Although the final featured two European clubs, the Club World Cup exceeded fans’ expectations. The tournament delivered entertainment, drama, upsets, and a glimpse into the depth of tactics from different teams in different regions around the world.
Chelsea conquered because they prepared well. PSG lit up the United States with their performances, and South American teams showed the world that they can compete with the best teams in the world.
Discussions will continue around scheduling and the prioritization of player health, Cole Palmer and Chelsea’s dominance in the final offered a fitting end to a beautifully organized tournament.
