Cole Palmer scored twice and fed Joao Pedro for a goal as Chelsea overwhelmed Paris Saint-Germain in the first half and beat the European champions 3-0 in the final of the first expanded FIFA Club World Cup.
Palmer had almost identical left-footed goals from just inside the penalty area in the 22nd and 30th minutes on Saturday, and then sent a through pass that enabled Pedro to chip goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma in the 43rd for his third goal in two starts with the Blues.
“It’s a great feeling. Even better, because everyone doubted us before the game. We knew we had to put up a fight against a great team,” player of the match Palmer said afterwards.
A 23-year-old who joined Chelsea from Manchester City two years ago, Palmer scored 18 goals this season.
PSG finished a man short after Joao Neves was given a red card in the 84th minute for pulling down Marc Cucurella by his hair. After a testy final few minutes, the teams needed to be separated as PSG coach Luis Enrique and Donnarumma pushed Pedro near the centre circle.
A heavy favourite who had outscored opponents 16-1, PSG had been looking to complete a quadruple after winning Ligue 1, the Coupe de France and its first Champions League title.
Before a tournament-high crowd of 81,188 at MetLife Stadium, which included United States President Donald Trump, Chelsea showed the energy of a fourth day of rest after its semifinal, one more than PSG.
Chelsea had finished fourth in the Premier League and won the third-tier UEFA Conference League. The Blues took the world title for the second time after 2021, when it was a seven-team event. The Blues earned $128.4m to $153.8m in prize money, the amount depending on a participation fee FIFA has not disclosed.
PSG had not lost by three goals since a 4-1 Champions League defeat at Newcastle in October 2023.
Chelsea went ahead in the 22nd after goalkeeper Robert Sanchez kicked the ball downfield and Nuno Mendes mis-hit his header 15 yards past the midfield stripe towards his own goal. Malo Gusto’s shot was blocked by Lucas Beraldo, and rebounded to Palmer, who ended PSG’s streak of 436 minutes without conceding.
Palmer doubled the lead in the 30th when he ran onto a long ball from Levi Colwill, and cut inside before shooting.
Chelsea heads into the 2025-26 season, which starts in less than five weeks, believing it can challenge Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal for the Premier League title.
