Chelsea stunned Paris Saint-Germain with a 3-0 victory in the FIFA Club World Cup final on Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Cole Palmer led the charge for the Blues, scoring twice within eight minutes midway through the first half. The 23-year-old celebrated with his trademark “cold” gesture, energizing Chelsea fans at MetLife Stadium.
Despite PSG’s dominance throughout the tournament, including just one loss to Botafogo in the group stage, the French champions were overwhelmed in the final. João Pedro, recently signed from Brighton, added a third goal in the 43rd minute, his third of the tournament.
The halftime show surprised fans with a special performance featuring Coldplay, J Balvin, Doja Cat, Tems, and Emmanuel Kelly.PSG ended the match with 10 men after João Neves was shown a red card for pulling Marc Cucurella’s hair. At full time, Chelsea players wore kits labeled “World Champions” and celebrated their second CWC title, the first since 2021.
This capped off a strong season for the London club, who also qualified for next season’s UEFA Champions League and won the UEFA Conference League with a 4-1 win over Real Betis in May. Palmer, who ended the season with 18 goals, praised manager Enzo Maresca for a tactical plan that gave him space to operate.
Maresca, in his first season with Chelsea after joining from Leicester City, credited his squad for executing the game plan and said the team won the final in the opening ten minutes by setting the tempo and positioning Palmer effectively.
PSG, despite winning Ligue 1 and the Coupe de France, fell short of their quadruple ambitions. The 3-0 loss was their worst defeat since a 4-1 Champions League loss to Newcastle in October 2023. Tensions spilled over after the final whistle, with a confrontation between Pedro and Gianluigi Donnarumma, which also involved PSG manager Luis Enrique. Maresca was later seen calming Donnarumma.
US President Donald Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino led the trophy presentation, with some boos heard in the stadium. Palmer received the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player, Robert Sánchez won the Golden Glove, and PSG’s Désiré Doué was named Best Young Player.
Chelsea now turns attention to the 2025–2026 Premier League season, which begins in under five weeks. PSG will prepare for a UEFA Super Cup clash with Tottenham Hotspur on August 13 in Udine, Italy.
