The inaugural edition of the FIFA Club World Cup™ saw Chelsea FC lift the coveted crown and provided a window into the evolving football landscape across the globe over the coming months and years.
The subplots that unravelled during the showcase event in the USA will continue to unfurl as the clubs return to their familiar domestic and continental battlegrounds.
FIFA has selected five topics that took the global limelight at the Club World Cup and could make more headlines in the months ahead.
Estevao’s switch to Chelsea
The latter stages of Chelsea’s Club World Cup odyssey would suggest that Joao Pedro has the edge over Liam Delap in the race to become the Blues’ new first-choice centre-forward. But the London outfit’s attacking line-up remains far from finalised, especially with Estevao (who scored a stunning strike for SE Palmeiras against his now team-mates in the quarter-finals in Philadelphia) waiting in the wings and primed to shake things up.
The Brazilian star’s best chance of breaking into the starting XI would seem to be as part of an attacking trio behind the lone frontman favoured by head coach Enzo Maresca. But two of those spots appear to have been secured by Cole Palmer and Pedro Neto, and in the showpiece final against Paris Saint-Germain, the Italian tactician opted to bolster his side’s presence in the middle of the park, entrusting Palmer and Neto as Joao Pedro’s sole support – a configuration that may well gain traction.
Room for improvement at PSG
Paris Saint-Germain enjoyed a dazzling end to the 2024/25 campaign, adding further Ligue 1 and Coupe de France titles to their haul and claiming their first UEFA Champions League crown. What’s more, having mercilessly dispatched Italian powerhouses FC Internazionale Milano in the European trophy decider, they then swept aside Spanish heavyweights Atlético de Madrid and Real Madrid C. F. in FIFA’s maiden marquee club competition, scoring 13 goals without reply across the three outings.
Their string of ruthless victories against formidable opposition meant that they went into the Club World Cup final against Chelsea as the team to beat and with all the pomp of being widely lauded as the strongest outfit on the planet. The Londoners nevertheless proved that, for all their irrefutable quality, Les Rouge et Bleu still have work to do if they are to become the perfect package.
Brazilian buzz
The four Brazilian sides at the global club showpiece returned home from the USA with plenty to shout about. The question now is whether they can carry their energy and enthusiasm into the remainder of the season on South American soil. CR Flamengo and Botafogo have already returned to winning ways in the Brazilian top flight, having recorded triumphs over São Paulo and Vasco da Gama respectively.
Meanwhile, fans turned out in full force to welcome Fluminense FC back to Rio de Janeiro with a rapturous reception. Palmeiras, for their part, are readying themselves to resume the fight for top spot in Brazil’s Serie A and take their fantastic form as the best-performing side in the group stage into the knockout rounds of the CONMEBOL Libertadores.
Madrid’s home-grown galactico
Gonzalo Garcia could hardly have dreamt up a better Club World Cup campaign.
At the start of the competition and fresh out of the club’s youth ranks, the fledgling prospect was given the nod to lead the line for Real Madrid due to Kylian Mbappe’s bout of gastroenteritis. And talk about hitting the ground running: Garcia bagged four goals in six outings to take home the tournament’s top scorer award.
The question now is how Xabi Alonso will fit the 21-year-old into his plans, with Mbappe having fully recovered and Endrick also likely to be vying for a forward berth once he returns from injury. Will García retain his place in the starting line-up or become first-choice back-up off the bench? Or might his impressive displays turn out to be a flash in the pan, at least in terms of his career with Los Blancos?
Saudi teams send clear message
Al Hilal emerged as one of the breakout stories of FIFA’s new flagship club competition, stunning Manchester City with an enthralling 4-3 victory and standing proudly as the only representatives from outside Europe and the Americas to have made it past the group stage.
Backed by significant investment and top-level talent, Al Hilal sent a clear message that Saudi sides should no longer be underestimated even when facing the game’s global giants. Following their elimination from the tournament, they have already unveiled their latest big-name acquisition in the form of French left-back Theo Hernandez, who has signed from AC Milan.
