FIFA Declares Chelsea First Winners Of Expanded Club World Cup

FIFA has officially declared Chelsea as the first winners of the expanded 32-team Club World Cup following their 3-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the final played at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, United States.

Naija News reports that the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup was the first time FIFA implemented the expanded format, increasing the number of participating clubs from seven to thirty-two. The tournament featured top clubs from different continents and was hosted in the United States.

Aside from confirming Chelsea as the first-ever winners of the expanded Club World Cup, FIFA also confirmed that previous winners of the old format, including 2023 champions Manchester City, will now be referred to as “Intercontinental Champions.”

Recall that Manchester City defeated Brazilian side Fluminense 4-0 in the final of the previous edition but were eliminated in the Round of 16 this year, losing 4-3 after extra time to Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal.

As for Chelsea, they stunned the world by beating PSG, marking their first Club World Cup title under the new structure and placing them in the record books as the first global champions of the expanded competition.

Chelsea sealed the historic triumph with a brace from Cole Palmer and a goal from Joao Pedro on Sunday night, July 13, crowning a dominant performance in what was the first edition of the Club World Cup under its new format.

Cole Palmer was named Player of the Tournament after a standout display in the final, where he scored twice and assisted the third goal.

Speaking to DAZN after the game, Palmer recalled how lowly most bookmakers rated Chelsea’s chances of winning and hailed his coach, Enzo Maresca’s input in the team.

The England international said, “Even better, because everyone doubted us before the game. I like finals and it happened again. The gaffer put a great game plan out. He knew where the space was going to be. I just had to repay him and score some goals.”

Palmer added, “He’s building something special. We are going in the right direction.”