Palmeiras

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

Inter Miami draw 2-2 with Palmeiras to see both sides through but Atletico Madrid go out despite win over Botafogo.

Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi faces a tantalising reunion with former club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the Club World Cup last 16 after both sides progressed to the knockout phase.

Miami drew 2-2 with Palmeiras on Monday to go through second in Group A and set up a knockout match against Group B toppers PSG, after the Brazilian side fought back from two goals down to seal top spot and confirm an all-Brazil clash against Botafogo.

Champions of Europe PSG recorded an easy 2-0 victory over Seattle Sounders, paving the way for the clash with their former star forward Messi and his surprise package of a club Miami.

Goals from Tadeo Allende and Luis Suarez had Miami on course for a second victory in the tournament after their shock win over Porto.

But Palmeiras struck twice in the last 10 minutes at Hard Rock Stadium through Paulinho and Mauricio to ensure they went through.

Suarez, Messi, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and Miami coach Javier Mascherano will also face their former coach Luis Enrique, who guided them to the treble when in charge at Barcelona in 2015.

“We’re talking about the champions of Europe. We know many of their players and their coach, who I was lucky enough to have coach me, and I’ve always said he is the best in the world,” Alba said after the match.

“I will connect with good friends there but once the game starts, we will compete, try to beat them, and why can’t we do it? This is football.”

Mascherano said Miami’s progress had elevated Major League Soccer (MLS).

“It’s a historic night for MLS, because we are into the best 16 teams in the world. All of the MLS has to be proud of Inter Miami,” he said.

Porto, Al Ahly out after eight-goal thriller

Portuguese side Porto and Egypt’s Al Ahly were eliminated after a thrilling 4-4 draw, which was not enough for either team to overhaul Palmeiras or Miami.

Pepe scored a goal in the 89th minute to finish the game in a 4-4 tie for Porto in a back-and-forth match.

Rodrigo Mora, William Gomes and Samu Aghehowa also scored for the Portuguese team. Wessam Abou Ali had a hat-trick for the Egyptian team in front of a crowd of 39,893 at MetLife Stadium, where a sea of red Al Ahly jerseys dominated the stands.

Both teams pushed for a late goal before the final whistle but neither could score again.

Atletico Madrid bag six points but go out

In Group B, Botafogo lost 1-0 to Atletico Madrid but progressed at the expense of the Spaniards, whose 4-0 defeat by PSG in their opener left them needing a big win in their last game.

Former France international Antoine Griezmann scored the game’s only goal, lashing home a Julian Alvarez cross in the 87th minute to give Atletico a victory that ultimately was in vain.

“We’re frustrated that we didn’t qualify – we had six points,” Atletico coach Simeone said afterwards.

“At the end of the day we were punished because it wasn’t enough.”

Atletico needed a two-goal swing and were upset at penalty appeals being turned down.

“I’ve never seen anything like it, to be honest, I think we should have been awarded two penalties,” complained winger Giuliano Simeone, the coach’s son.

European champions PSG bounced back from their surprise defeat by Botafogo with a comfortable win in Seattle.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Achraf Hakimi scored either side of half-time as the Ligue 1 champions advanced as group winners because of Botafogo’s late defeat to Atletico Madrid in Pasadena.

“It wasn’t easy because the pitch was very different to what we are used to in Europe so we couldn’t play with the fluidity that we like, but we adapted,” said PSG coach Enrique.

PSG top scorer Ousmane Dembele played no part for a third game running after travelling to the tournament with an injury.

Abel Ferreira hesitated for a second, insisted he wouldn’t say what he had in his mind, but then – in a rare moment of full disclosure when it comes to young talents – he opened up.

“This player is different from everything I’ve ever seen,” the Palmeiras coach said in a press conference in May 2024, following a 2-1 win over Botafogo-SP in the Brazilian Cup.

The two-time Libertadores champion is not particularly known for letting himself get carried away too easily, especially in front of the cameras. But that night, he allowed himself to speak freely because he couldn’t believe his eyes – then 17-year-old Estevao had just scored the winner in the final minutes and put on a spectacular show once more.

Such is the impact the left-footed winger had the season before last that Ferreira tried, in vain, to convince the club board not to sell him. That was too late, though.

Chelsea beat the competition of the likes of Bayern Munich, Paris St-Germain and Manchester City to sign the Palmeiras wonderkid in a deal that could eventually be worth £52m and that will see him arrive at Stamford Bridge after Fifa’s new Club World Cup in July 2025.

Other Brazilian teenagers such as Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo left for Europe at the same age for huge fees. They’ve both proved themselves already on the big stages since then. But none of them were as hyped as Estevao when they first moved abroad.

There’s a feeling in Brazil that the boy from the countryside of Sao Paulo may be something else, the kind of player that comes along once a decade and seems destined to the very top.

“Estevao is the best player to have emerged from Brazilian football since Neymar. You watch him and you fall in love,” the head of Palmeiras’ academy, Joao Paulo Sampaio, told BBC Sport.

“He already impresses with his technique but, like Neymar at this same point in his career, he has not yet matured physically and is not as strong as Endrick, so he could still develop a lot. That’s what amazes everyone and makes them think that he will reach a much higher level.”

Chelsea may have struck gold with their new signing.