Enzo Maresca leads "Chelsea" into their Club World Cup 2025 campaign against "Los Angeles FC" on Monday in what promises to be an intriguing opening match in Group D. The London side enters the tournament at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta as favorites, but the American underdogs have enough quality to cause problems.
"We've earned our place in this tournament by winning all four major UEFA competitions, which is a historic achievement for the club," Maresca might say ahead of the match. "But we're taking nothing for granted against LAFC."
The Blues secured their spot in this expanded Club World Cup back in 2021 after winning the Champions League, while adding the Conference League trophy to their cabinet last season with a convincing 4-1 victory over "Betis". That triumph completed Chelsea's collection of all four major UEFA trophies – a unique achievement in European football.
"Chelsea" arrive in good nick, having won eight of their nine final matches in the 2024/25 season. This tournament marks their third Club World Cup appearance – they lifted the trophy in 2021 but fell short in the 2013 final against Brazilian side "Corinthians".
Interestingly, "Los Angeles FC" only secured their place through an unexpected route. The American side qualified after Mexico's "Leon" was disqualified due to multi-club ownership violations, then defeated "Club America" 2-1 in extra time of their play-in match.
Steven Cherundolo's men shouldn't be underestimated. They're currently unbeaten in 10 matches and have been finding the net consistently – scoring at least twice in each of their recent outings. Currently sixth in the MLS Western Conference, LAFC have clearly prioritized this global competition.
Having World Cup winners Hugo Lloris and Olivier Giroud in their ranks gives the California team serious pedigree. By the way, Giroud's experience against Premier League opposition could prove valuable against his former club.
To advance from Group D, both teams will also need to navigate matches against Tunisia's "Esperance" and Brazilian giants "Flamengo". Can the MLS side pull off a shock against the European heavyweights? The odds favor Chelsea, but football has a habit of surprising us when we least expect it.
