Chelsea kicked off their FIFA Club World Cup 2025 journey with a 2–0 win against Los Angeles FC on Monday night in Atlanta, giving them an early lead in Group D.
The Premier League team claimed all three points in their first match with goals from Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernández. Chelsea leads the group with three points and a +2 goal difference, ahead of Brazil’s Flamengo and Tunisia’s Espérance de Tunis, who have yet to play.
Meanwhile, LAFC finds itself at the bottom of the standings with zero points and a -2 goal difference. New recruit Liam Delap made his debut for Chelsea in front of thousands of empty seats at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Midfielder Dário Essugo also made his first appearance for the club, which has now won eight of its last nine matches, including the UEFA Europa Conference League final.
Chelsea will next face Brazilian team Flamengo in Philadelphia on Friday (19:00 BST), while LAFC will meet ES Tunis in Nashville (23:00). Group D will wrap up the following Tuesday, with Chelsea going up against Espérance and LAFC taking on Flamengo.
In other news, Boca Juniors settled for a 2–2 draw with Benfica and currently ranks second in Group C, trailing Bayern Munich—the German champions who overwhelmed Auckland City 10–0 on Sunday.
Both Boca and Benfica finished the match with ten players after straight red cards were issued to Andrea Belotti and Nicolás Figal, respectively, in a fiery match that saw the Portuguese team comeback from a two-goal deficit.
Boca will next challenge Bayern on Friday in Miami, while Benfica will play against Auckland City in Orlando, Florida.
Related News: Bayern Set Club World Cup Record in 10–0 Rout
In another match, Brazilian powerhouse Botafogo started their campaign with a hard-earned 2–1 victory over Major League Soccer’s Seattle Sounders in Group B at Lumen Field.
Early strikes from Jair Cunha and Igor Jesus put the South Americans in the driver’s seat, but a deflected second-half shot from Cristian Roldan created a tense finish.
Despite considerable late pressure, Botafogo remained resolute, with goalkeeper John making a vital stoppage-time save to prevent Seattle from equalizing.
The outcome places Botafogo second in Group B based on goal difference, trailing Paris Saint-Germain, who earlier thrashed Atlético Madrid 4–0. Botafogo now gears up to face PSG, while Seattle will meet Atlético on Thursday.
