Chelsea FC is Club World Champion – but this title is a misnomer

There are some surreal images from this first World Cup final between two club teams in New York. Donald Trump flying in by helicopter from one of his golf clubs shortly before kickoff on Sunday afternoon. The US president later watching the Paris Saint-Germain vs. Chelsea FC match between his wife Melania and Gianni Infantino, the president of world football's governing body FIFA. And Trump handing the trophy to the Chelsea players after the match, along with the other trophies, such as the one for the tournament's best player, to Cole Palmer – and actually standing right in the middle of the Chelsea team during the subsequent celebrations, clapping.

And of course: the gigantic shows before the game, during halftime and afterward, with greats like Robbie Williams and Coldplay; the players marching in like gladiators, one by one, into the sold-out MetLife Stadium with over 80,000 spectators; the minute-long break in the middle of the second half so the pitch could be watered; the chaos and epic waits on the way to the stadium, which the crowds faced with astonishing composure; and finally, a remarkably one-sided final with a surprise winner.

PSG was expected to win its fifth title this season. It was only a few weeks ago that the Paris club demolished Inter Milan 5-0 in the Champions League final. And it was only a few days since their 4-0 victory against Real Madrid in the Club World Cup semifinal.

After just a few minutes, however, you're already rubbing your eyes in amazement in the final. Chelsea presses, combines, and dominates like PSG; PSG chases the ball and their opponents like Inter Milan and Real Madrid recently did. Palmer scores twice early on, almost exactly the same, with a well-considered inside-of-the-foot shot, and sets up João Pedro for the 3-0 before halftime. And Infantino, up in the stands, must be hoping that Trump doesn't understand what a 3-0 win means in football—unlike in American football, it's usually the deciding factor.

In the second half, Chelsea confidently maintained their lead. Left-back Marc Cucurella, the long-haired Spaniard who performed the legendary hand-to-hand scene in the 2024 Euro quarter-final against Germany , worked so passionately to cultivate his reputation as a controversial figure that the PSG players lost their nerve one by one – and João Neves was shown the red card shortly before the final whistle for pulling Cucurella's hair. After the final whistle, there were a few brawls in this mighty American football stadium. Involved were PSG coach Luis Enrique and other club representatives, who were the sore losers.

Chelsea may not necessarily be the best club team in the world, but they are officially the first world champions in the new format with 32 participants. Not PSG, Manchester City, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, or Inter Milan, all of whom were considered stronger. Not Liverpool and Arsenal, who have been better than Chelsea in the Premier League this season, and certainly not Barcelona and Napoli, the champions of Spain and Italy, who were absent from the Club World Cup. Chelsea, however, as winners of the 2021 Champions League, were there.

This World Cup triumph may be a misnomer, but there is a certain logic to the success: Chelsea have not lost a final in the past decade and a half in the Champions League (2012 and 2021), the Europa League (2013 and 2019), the Conference League (2025) and the Club World Cup (2021 and 2025), and have outplayed several more highly rated teams in the process.

And so Chelsea is a fitting winner of this Club World Cup, with prize money of one billion dollars . The club earned around 140 million dollars, including the signing bonus. Not bad for a win against Los Angeles FC, a loss to Flamengo, and a victory against Tunis in the group stage, a win in the round of 16 after extra time against Benfica, and wins against Palmeiras and Fluminense en route to the final against PSG. "It feels good to be the best team in the world," said Cole Palmer afterward.

Along with playmaker Enzo Fernandez, Palmer is one of the defining figures in a team that seems rather haphazardly assembled and only finished fourth in the Premier League. "A club created by Frankenstein," the Süddeutsche Zeitung recently headlined about Chelsea. Hilarious memes are circulating about the team's bus, which must be up to five stories high considering the squad size. Is there 43, 46, 55 players? Five or nine goalkeepers? In any case, it's a transfer concept like a players' bazaar, with lots of footballers parked somewhere. Chelsea have spent around two billion Swiss francs on transfers alone in the last five years.

On July 1, João Pedro arrived from Brighton for around 65 million Swiss francs. He immediately made his mark with two goals in the semi-final against Fluminense and one in the final against PSG. Not yet included was the latest acquisition, Jamie Gittens from Borussia Dortmund, also signed for over 60 million Swiss francs, as roughly the fourteenth attacking player—more than half of whom are expected to be out of the squad in two months.

Chelsea FC's activism is damaging the industry; European Football Association UEFA recently imposed a 20 million Swiss franc fine because its financial situation is in disarray. But what does Chelsea care?

It is certainly a remarkable achievement by Italian coach and tactician Enzo Maresca to have formed a unit out of such an incredible number of individual players that can perform as convincingly as they did against Paris. "I told the players they should be proud," says the coach. "This Club World Cup will be even more important than the Champions League. And we are now world champions." The corresponding badge will adorn Chelsea's jerseys for the next four years.