Chelsea’s final FIFA Club World Cup opponent has now been confirmed as LAFC, the last team to join this summer’s tournament less than two weeks before it begins.
The group stage took place on December 5, 2024. All 32 qualifiers had been decided at that time, but Mexican side Club León were later removed from the competition.
FIFA’s Appeal Committee viewed León, 2023 CONCACAF Champions League winners, to have broken multi-club ownership regulations on account as having the same owners as Pachuca, who later qualified themselves as 2024’s CONCACAF champions.
It left a hole in Group D, alongside Chelsea, Espérance de Tunis and Flamengo, that needed filling.
Although plenty of clubs—Costa Rica’s Alajuelense were the original objectors to report the multi-club issue to the Court of Arbitration for Sport—laid claim to the open space, the resolution was a one-off ‘play-in’ match between LAFC and Club América.
LAFC earned their place in the extraordinary qualifier due to being the team that León beat in the 2023 CONCACAF Champions League final. Liga MX’s América, meanwhile, were top of the CONCACAF club rankings at the conclusion of the 2024 Champions Cup.
The game was played in Los Angeles on Saturday night (local time) and the hosts secured a 2-1 win—and their place, albeit at very short notice, at the Club World Cup.
América looked as they would claim a 1–0 victory thanks to a goal from Uruguay international Brian Rodríguez midway through the second half. But Igor Jesus forced extra-time with an 89th minute equaliser, before Denis Bouanga then won it for LAFC in the 115th minute.
Chelsea against LAFC in the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta will now be Group D’s first match on June 16. The Blues, qualifiers by virtue of their UEFA Champions League triumph in 2021, will then face Flamengo and Espérance on June 20 and 24 respectively.