Chelsea booked their place in the final of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup with a 2-0 victory over Fluminense at the MetLife Stadium, ending South America’s representation in the tournament.
Fluminense came into the semi-final on an 11-match unbeaten run and showed early resilience, denying Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella and Enzo Fernández clear chances.
But in the 18th minute, João Pedro—on his full debut for Chelsea and formerly of Fluminense—opened the scoring with a stunning curler from the edge of the box after a clearance fell kindly to him.
Enzo Maresca’s men pushed for a second, with Malo Gusto going close. Fluminense nearly leveled when Hércules dribbled past goalkeeper Robert Sánchez, only for Cucurella to clear off the line. A handball call against Trevor Chalobah was initially given as a penalty but was overturned after a VAR review.
In the second half, Fluminense threatened on the counter, with substitute Everaldo forcing Sánchez into a save. But the West London side doubled their lead after Cole Palmer launched a break, passing to Fernández, who fed João Pedro for his second—a powerful strike that rattled in off the crossbar.
Despite late chances for Nicolas Jackson, Enzo Maresca’s men couldn’t extend the lead further. Fluminense, who had scored most of their goals in the final 20 minutes during this tournament, failed to break down Chelsea’s defense and crashed out for the second time in three years to an English club.
Chelsea now await the winner of the other semi-final between Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain as they chase a second Club World Cup title.
