Champions will go head to head when LAFC and Chelsea battle in their opening matches at the FIFA Club World Cup on Monday, with the matchup putting the 2024 U.S. Open Cup champions against the 2025 Europa Conference League winners.
In the matchup, striker Olivier Giroud will have the chance to face his former team, while MLS superstar Denis Bouanga will hope to lead the 2022 MLS Cup winners to an upset against Cole Palmer and Chelsea.
Although both teams have winning histories and have been giants, they have not had much to cheer for in league play for the last few seasons, with Chelsea finishing fourth in the 2024-25 Premier League and LAFC currently ranked fifth in the MLS Western Conference, after falling out of the 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs Western Conference Final.
Yet, none of that league form will matter when the Club World Cup comes around, as they hope to navigate Group D action, with upcoming games against Tunisia’s E.S. Tunis and Brazil’s Flamengo after the highly anticipated opener.
Here’s everything you need to know about the clash between LAFC and Chelsea.
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