Chelsea begin their journey in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup with a 2-0 win against Major League Soccer side Los Angeles FC, in a Group D match held at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Monday. Despite the strong performance on the pitch, the match was played in front of a crowd of just over 22,000—well below the stadium’s 71,000-seat capacity.
Goals from Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez sealed the win for the London side. Fernandez’s goal was assisted by 22-year-old striker Liam Delap, who came off the bench for his Chelsea debut. The Blues are aiming to make a deep run in the competition after winning the UEFA Conference League and qualifying for next season’s Champions League.
The match had the excitement of a high-level international fixture, but the empty seats told a different story. Held at 3:00 p.m. local time on a weekday, the scheduling seemed better suited for television audiences overseas than local fans. Although the stadium roof kept players cool from the Georgia summer heat, the timing led to low turnout, even with ticket prices reduced in the days before kickoff.
A few hundred LAFC supporters brought energy with non-stop chanting and drums, trying to lift their team against the more experienced English club. Behind them stood Hugo Lloris, LAFC’s French goalkeeper and former Tottenham Hotspur captain, who kept his team in the game early on with saves against Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke.
Chelsea looked sharp from the opening whistle. Jackson’s clever pass allowed Neto to cut inside and finish low past Lloris for the first goal. LAFC made changes in the second half, including bringing on former Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud, but they struggled to break through Chelsea’s defense.
Delap, recently signed from Ipswich Town, made an immediate impact after coming on. He drove down the right side and delivered a pinpoint pass to Fernandez, who calmly finished from close range to double the lead and secure the win.
LAFC did have chances, especially through Denis Bouanga, who forced a strong save from Robert Sanchez. Marc Cucurella also made a key block to stop a late effort from David Martinez.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca opted to start without several of his new signings, but their impact off the bench—including Delap—bodes well for the remainder of the tournament.
