Cole Palmer scored twice and assisted another as Chelsea delivered a stunning 3-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the final of FIFA’s revamped Club World Cup on Sunday, lifting the trophy in front of 81,118 fans at MetLife Stadium.
PSG entered the match as strong favourites, fresh from a dominant 4-0 win over Real Madrid in the semi-finals and their recent UEFA Champions League triumph. But it was Chelsea who flipped the script, racing into a three-goal lead by halftime to seal the first title of FIFA’s new 32-team tournament.
Palmer opened the scoring in the 22nd minute, finishing low into the corner after Malo Gusto’s persistence on the right. He doubled the lead just eight minutes later, exploiting space left by PSG’s disorganized back line before calmly slotting home.
On 43 minutes, Palmer turned provider, pouncing on passive defending to set up recent signing João Pedro, who clipped a neat finish past Gianluigi Donnarumma to make it 3-0.
It was a dream first half for Chelsea — and a nightmare for PSG — just weeks after the French side had dismantled Inter Milan 5-0 in the Champions League final.
PSG never looked like mounting a comeback. Their best chance came in first-half stoppage time, when João Neves headed narrowly wide. The Portuguese midfielder’s day went from bad to worse late on when he was shown a red card — following a VAR review — for pulling Marc Cucurella by the hair off the ball.
The match had a unique sense of occasion, not only for its location — with the Manhattan skyline as a backdrop — but also due to the presence of former U.S. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump. The final even featured the first-ever halftime show at a FIFA tournament, giving it a Super Bowl-style atmosphere.
For Chelsea, this marks the crowning achievement of a remarkable season. Alongside their Club World Cup title, they also won the UEFA Conference League and secured a top-four Premier League finish. The win earns them approximately $125 million in prize money — a lucrative reward at the end of a marathon campaign.
PSG, while still walking away with a substantial financial package, will be disappointed to miss out on adding this trophy to their domestic double and European triumph. But for manager Luis Enrique, the Champions League win remains the season’s true prize.
The French giants now have a month to regroup before facing Tottenham Hotspur in the UEFA Super Cup.
As for Palmer, who has been the face of Chelsea’s U.S. tour marketing campaign, this performance further cements his meteoric rise. He nearly scored inside 10 minutes, while PSG’s best early chance fell to Désiré Doué, who hesitated in the box and allowed Cucurella to recover.
From then on, Chelsea took control. João Pedro, who scored twice in the semi-final against Fluminense, impressed again after joining mid-tournament from Brighton, while substitutes like Liam Delap kept PSG on edge until the final whistle.
For Chelsea fans, this was a night to remember — and a signal that their young, evolving squad is ready to compete at the highest level again.
