Who: Chelsea vs Palmeiras
What: FIFA Club World Cup quarterfinals
Where: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
When: Friday, July 4 at 9pm (01:00 GMT, July 5)
How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 6pm local (22:00 GMT) in advance of our live text commentary stream.
The second quarterfinal of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup pits English Premier League club Chelsea against Brazil’s Palmeiras.
Al Jazeera Sport takes a look at whether the match-up is a repeat of the 2021 final, which the Blues won 2-1 in the United Arab Emirates.
How did Chelsea reach the quarterfinals?
Chelsea picked up wins against Los Angeles and ES Tunis in the group stage to seal their qualification for the knockout rounds, although they did slip to a 3-1 defeat to another Brazilian club, Flamengo, to concede the top spot.
That handed the Blues a tricky all-European round of 16 tie against Benfica, which required extra time for the London-based club to progress with a 4-1 win.
A two-hour delay, with Chelsea leading 1-0 with four minutes of normal time to play, for nearby lightning was far from ideal in what has already proved a draining summer tournament.
How did Palmeiras reach the quarterfinals?
Two draws, against Corinthians and Porto, and a final match win against Al Ahly were enough for Palmeiras to progress to the last 16 of the tournament.
The cost of finishing second in the group, behind Porto, meant an all-Brazilian tie with Botafogo in the first knockout round.
Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Paulinho came off the bench to score the only goal of the game in extra time to send Palmeiras through.
Who could Chelsea and Palmeiras face in the semifinals?
The winners of the first quarterfinal between Brazil’s Fluminense and Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal, played earlier in the day, await the winners of the second last-eight tie.
Who completes the Club World Cup quarterfinal lineup?
Paris Saint-Germain against Bayern Munich and Real Madrid against Borussia Dortmund complete the quarterfinal lineup, with the winners of those ties facing each other in the semifinals.
Can Joao Pedro play for Chelsea at the CWC?
Yes. Chelsea signed forward Joao Pedro from Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday and could make his debut for the London-based club in the quarterfinals.
Financial details were not disclosed, but British media reported that the deal was worth 60 million pounds ($81.54m).
“Everyone knows this is a big club with a great history,” the Brazilian, who has signed an eight-year contract, said in a statement.
“They had brilliant players in the past and have brilliant players now. So I am excited to join, and you know when you are a Chelsea player you must think one thing – win.”
The 23-year-old joined Brighton from Watford in 2023 and has scored 30 goals and provided 10 assists in 70 appearances for the south-coast club.
He has also made three appearances for Brazil’s senior team.
Chelsea captain Reece James’s pre-match thoughts
“We’ve come a long way. It was difficult to be so close to the end of the match and then have a kick in the teeth like that when we lost a late goal. We had to pick ourselves up and brush ourselves down – and to then score a few goals in extra time after the delay probably shows how far we’ve come, and everyone has played a part.”
Palmeiras coach Abel Ferreira’s pre-match thoughts
“Never give up, never give in. All the time, we work for this. I would like to say thank you to my players for all their efforts. We had an amazing game against Botafogo. When we needed to suffer, we suffered together with one player less. We deserved it because we work a lot.”
Next up: #FIFACWC Quarter-Finals. 🔜 pic.twitter.com/T49Cj3bOOy
— FIFA Club World Cup (@FIFACWC) July 2, 2025
Chelsea team news
Chelsea welcome back striker Nicolas Jackson after a two-game ban for his sending off in the defeat by Flamengo.
Moises Caicedo, however, sits out the tie after picking up a yellow card in the win against Benfica.
Palmeiras team news
Paulinho is set to have surgery on his leg after the tournament, so, despite his winning goal in the last round, the midfielder is set to remain among the substitutes.
Palmeiras will also be without the services of the suspended Uruguayan Joaquin Piquerez.
Estevao, who is set to join Chelsea following the finals, will, however, be able to play.
Head-to-head
This is only the second meeting between the sides following Chelsea’s 2-1 win in the 2021 Club World Cup final.
Romelu Lukaku and Kai Havertz scored for the Blues, either side of Raphael Veiga’s 64th-minute penalty, to settle the match that went to extra time. Luan was sent off for Palmeiras for a second yellow card in the final minute of the match.
Form guide – Chelsea’s last five games:
W-W-L-W-W
Form guide – Palmeira’s last five games:
D-D-W-D-W
Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Sanchez; James (c), Badiashile, Colwill, Cucurella; Essugo, Lavia; Palmer, Fernandez, Pedro Neto; Jackson
Palmeiras possible starting lineup:
Weverton (c); Giay, Micael, Bruno Fuchs; Mayke, Rios, Martinez, Vanderlan; Allan, Vitor Roque, Estevao