First European team to book their spot in the Club World Cup 2025, Chelsea will lock horns with Brazilian juggernauts Flamengo, one of host’s club Los Angeles FC and Tunisia’s best Espérance de Tunis in Group D. Although the dominant teams in this group are quite predictable, the high-ranking teams from four different confederations will make it a very competitive affair with possible surprises in store. The Group D games will begin on 17 June with the Blues taking on LAFC in Atlanta, with Nashville and Orlando hosting a game each. The Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia is where most games will be played, with three scheduled, including the big game between Flamengo and Chelsea.
Group D Teams: FIFA Club World Cup 2025
Group D of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 brings together four teams from four different confederations, promising a tightly contested group with tactical variety and intense matchups. European giants Chelsea lead the group, joined by South American powerhouse Flamengo, North America's hopefuls Los Angeles FC, and Africa’s top-ranked club Espérance de Tunis. While Chelsea and Flamengo appear the strongest on paper, LAFC’s home advantage and Espérance’s defensive resilience make this group unpredictable.
Chelsea
Conference League winners Chelsea are undeniably favourites in Group D, although Flamengo and Los Angeles FC or even Tunis could be tricky customers. The Blues qualified for the Club World Cup 2025 on the virtue of winning the Champions League in 2021, but since then, the club has witnessed a change in ownership, with up-and-down seasons. Only captain Reece James remains from the winning squad four years ago, but the current team have a lot of talent, with an average age profile of 22 years, making them the youngest side in the competition. They have signed another potential future star, Liam Delap, in the special transfer window to include him in the Club World Cup, boosting their attacking options with pre-deal transfers like Mike Penders, Mamadou Sarr and Dário Essugo also included in the competition’s squad. However, not all are part of the squad, with notable names such as Raheem Sterling, João Félix, and Axel Disasi missing, while Wesley Fofana is out with a hamstring injury. Chelsea might not be the favourites with a lack of experienced campaigners a big factor, but they certainly have the potential to go deep into the competition.
Chelsea Club World Cup 2025 Squad
Goalkeepers: Robert Sánchez, Filip Jörgensen, Mike Penders, Gabriel Slonina
Defenders: Marc Cucurella, Tosin Adarabioyo, Benoît Badiashile, Levi Colwill, Mamadou Sarr, Trevoh Chalobah, Reece James, Malo Gusto, Aarón Anselmino, Josh Acheampong
Midfielders: Enzo Fernández, Cole Palmer, Dário Essugo, Andrey Santos, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Moisés Caicedo, Roméo Lavia
Forwards: Pedro Neto, Liam Delap, Noni Madueke, Nicolas Jackson, Christopher Nkunku, Tyrique George, Marc Guiu
Manager: Enzo Maresca
Flamengo
Brazilian club Flamengo qualified for the Club World Cup 2025 by winning the 2022 Copa Libertadores, which was their third honour at the continental level, returning to the summit of South American football again after two years. The side also won the Brasileirão Serie A twice in the last seven years, alongside reaching the 2019 Club World Cup final. Although neither of the successes in one of the best periods in club history came under the Atletico Madrid icon and present coach, Filipe Luís, he has been able to maintain the heights reached by the team. Under his tenure, Flamengo has picked up 33 wins in 51 matches with just five losses. Seven of those wins have come in the league this season, which they top on goal difference, with just 11 games played. The Rubro-Negro are also in fine form, carrying an eight-game unbeaten run into the competition and have lost just twice since February 2025. The most successful Brazilian club of the 21st century also have players with European league experience like Danilo, Alex Sandro, Erick Pulgar, Jorginho and Gerson, although the latter is set to leave the club and other national team campaigners. Flamengo has everything to push a young Chelsea squad for the top spot, but whether they will achieve it depends on how they react in the decider in the second group game.
Flamengo Club World Cup 2025 Squad
Goalkeepers: Agustin Rossi, Matheus Cunha, Dyogo Alves, Leo Nannetti
Defenders: Guillermo Varela, Leo Ortiz, Leo Pereira, Ayrton Lucas, Danilo, Matias Vina, Alex Sandro, Cleiton, Wesley, Daniel Sales, Joao Victor
Midfielders: Erick Pulgar, Gerson, Giorgian de Arrascaeta, Nicolas de la Cruz, Matheus Goncalves, Jorginho, Allan, Ebertton Araujo, Pablo Lucio, Joshua
Forwards: Luis Araujo, Pedro, Everton, Lorran, Juninho, Bruno Henrique, Michael, Guilherme Gomes, Gonzalo Plata, Wallace Yans
Manager: Filipe Luís
Los Angeles FC
LAFC did not initially fulfil any criteria to qualify for the Club World Cup 2025, but got a lifeline after a qualified team, Club Leon, was expelled from the tournament due to a multi-club ownership issue. The Black and Gold have been flying high for half a decade now, with all of the honour in their 10 year of existence having come in that period, including two Supporters’ Shields, two MLS Cups, finishing at the top of the regular season in the Western Conference three times and claiming their first U.S Open Cup last year. They could have also won the 2023 CONCACAF Champions League, but were beaten by Leon. However, reaching the final helped them with a spot in the playoffs against the best-ranked CONCACAF side outside of direct participants, Club America, which was a game staged to occupy the vacant spot left by the Mexican side in the Club World Cup. Despite going down, LAFC showed grit and determination to win the playoffs in extra time, qualifying for the tournament. Getting into the competition for which they weren’t selected at first should give them motivation and they have excellent quality in the squad with two World Cup winners, Hugo Lloris and Olivier Giroud, part of it. However, there is a doubt whether they have enough quality, despite home advantage, to sneak into the knockouts ahead of the two assured teams of the top two confederations in the world.
Los Angeles FC Club World Cup 2025 Squad
Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris, Thomas Hasal, David Ochoa, Cabral Carter
Defenders: Eddie Segura, Marlon, Sergi Palencia, Lorenzo Dellavalle, Ryan Raposo, Ryan Hollingshead, Maxime Chanot, Artem Smolyakov, Aaron Long, Kenny Nielsen, Nkosi Tafari
Midfielders: Igor Jesus, Mark Delgado, Timothy Tillman, Yaw Yeboah, Frankie Amaya, Adam Saldana, Jude Terry, Matt Evans, Odin Thiago Holm
Forwards: Olivier Giroud, Jeremy Ebobisse, Javairô Dilrosun, Nathan Ordaz, David Martínez, Adrian Wibowo
Manager: Steve Cherundolo
Espérance de Tunis
Tunis are the undisputed galvanising force in Tunisian football, being the record winners of all their domestic competitions and also lifting the CAF Champions League trophy four times. They have won their eighth straight top-flight titles since 2016-17, 34 overall, losing just twice last season. The Smiling One have been the best-ranked side in African club football in the previous four years, which was their qualifying criteria for the Club World Cup 2025. They are bringing their flair to the competition with their passionate fan support, having won 19 of 30 matches in the league campaign, losing only twice, scoring 57 goals and keeping 15 clean sheets. Tunis are also carrying a six-game unbeaten run to the tournament, which might be beneficial facing some strong opponents in their group, an uphill battle for them to beat the drop due to their less technical aspect and over-reliance on a hard-end defensive approach. They could frustrate teams with their method, benefitting from the hostile support, while hitting on the counter, but doing it against top possession-holding sides is a tough job.
Esperance de Tunis Club World Cup 2025 Squad
Goalkeepers: Amenallah Memmiche, Mokhtar Ifaoui, Mohamed Sedki Debchi, Mokhtar Ifaoui, Bechir Ben Saïd
Defenders: Koussay Smiri, Yassine Meriah, Hamza Jelassi, Raed Bouchniba, Mohamed Amine Tougai, Mohamed Amine Ben Hamida, Ayman Ben Mohamed, Elyas Bouzaiene, Aziz Koudhai
Midfielders: Houssem Tka, Yan Sasse, Youcef Belaïli, Onuche Ogbelu, Zakaria El Ayeb, Abdramane Konaté, Khalil Guenichi
Forwards: Rodrigo Rodrigues, Haythem Dhaou, Achref Jabri, Elias Mokwana, Zinedine Kada, Koussay Maacha, Chiheb Jebali, Mohamed Mouhli, Mohamed Rayane Hamrouni, Aboubacar Diakité
Manager: Maher Kanzari
FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Group D Fixtures & Venues
Date | Kick‑off Time (Local/IST) | Fixture | Venue |
Mon, 16 Jun | 3 p.m/12:30 am next day | Chelsea vs. LAFC | |
Mon, 16 Jun | 9 p.m/ 06:30 am next day | Flamengo vs. Espérance de Tunis | Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA |
Fri, 20 Jun | 2 p.m/ 11:30 pm | Flamengo vs. Chelsea | Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA |
Fri, 20 Jun | 6 p.m/ 03:30 am next day | LAFC vs. Espérance de Tunis | GEODIS Park, Nashville, TN |
Tue, 24 Jun | 9 p.m/ 06:30 am next day | Espérance de Tunis vs. Chelsea | Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA |
Tue, 24 Jun | 9 pm/ 06:30 am next day | LAFC vs. Flamengo | Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL |
Who Will Qualify from Group D in the FIFA Club World Cup 2025?
Group D is one of the most balanced and intriguing groups in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, featuring top-tier clubs from Europe, South America, North America, and Africa. While Chelsea and Flamengo are the standout names, the unpredictability of tournament football means surprises are always on the cards.
Predicted Qualifiers: Flamengo, Chelsea
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