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Al Jazeera
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Al Jazeera
LIVE: Chelsea vs Benfica – FIFA Club World Cup
Chelsea entertain Benfica in the round of 16 at the FIFA Club World Cup. The match at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, kicks off at 4pm (21:00 GMT).
Al Jazeera
14 hours ago
- Sport
- Al Jazeera
Chelsea given CWC headache ahead of Benfica test
Who: Chelsea vs Benfica What: FIFA Club World Cup round of 16 Where: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina, United States When: Saturday, June 28 at 4pm (21:00 GMT) How to follow: We'll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 1pm (18:00 GMT) before our live text commentary stream. Chelsea and Benfica meet in the second round of 16 tie at the FIFA Club World Cup in an all-European affair, which could easily have been a fixture straight from the UEFA Champions League. Between them, the clubs have lifted Europe's premier club competition on nine occasions, with seven of those titles going to Portuguese giants Benfica. Al Jazeera Sport looks ahead to the match that comes with a significant headache for the English club following their late slip-up in the group stage. What is Chelsea's annoyance heading into the Benfica tie? Chelsea are facing a logistical headache at the Club World Cup after finishing second in their group, forcing an unexpected trip to Charlotte for their last 16 match instead of staying in Miami, where the club thought they would be based for the knockout stage. Travel, accommodation and training arrangements were, a source told the news agency Reuters, all made with the assumption that the West Londoners would top Group D and play their round of 16 match at Hard Rock Stadium. The detour to Charlotte means reorganising bookings and schedules at short notice, but the club still intends to return to its Miami base after the match, adding more miles to an already hectic itinerary. What happened to Chelsea in the group stage? The Blue opened their Club World Cup campaign with a 2-0 win against Los Angeles. After a 3-1 loss to Brazil's Flamengo, Chelsea only managed second place despite a 3-0 win over Esperance Tunis in their final group stage fixture in Philadelphia. How did Benfica fare in the group stage? Benfica were held to a 2-2 draw in their opening match at the FIFA Club World Cup by Boca Juniors. The Lisbon-based club then won their final two games against New Zealand's Auckland City (6-0) and Germany's Bayern Munich (1-0). Who awaits Chelsea or Benfica in the quarter-finals? The winner of Saturday's tie will return to Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia to face the winner of the all-Brazilian clash between Palmeiras and Botafogo. The #FIFACWC Round of 16 fixtures. 🔢 — FIFA Club World Cup (@FIFACWC) June 27, 2025 Chelsea's Fernandez prepares for Benfica reunion Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca has hailed the contribution of playmaker Enzo Fernandez as the Argentinian prepares to come up against his old team Benfica. 'I am very pleased with Enzo especially because first of all he is a nice and polite boy, and then with us since we started he has been working very well in every aspect on and off the pitch,' Maresca told reporters in Charlotte. Fernandez was a vital cog in the Chelsea side that finished fourth in the Premier League to qualify for next season's Champions League, and also featured in their run to the UEFA Conference League title. The 24-year-old also scored a second goal as a sub in the 2-0 win over Los Angeles FC in their opening game and has started both matches since, laying on two goals in the 3-0 victory against Esperance of Tunisia. Fernandez was signed from Benfica in February 2023 for a British transfer record fee at the time of 107 million pounds ($147m). In 2025, he has scored and assisted a total of 14 goals. 'This season he struggled a bit at the beginning to understand the way we want to play but (since) then he is doing fantastic also in terms of numbers, goals and assists,' Maresca added. 'This is what I want from attacking players – I have said many times that I prefer to have attacking players with 10-12 goals each than just one striker with 40 goals. 'His contribution has been top and I am sure it will be even better next season.' Benfica not to be underestimated after Bayern win Maresca has warned his players about the threat posed by their Portuguese opponents, especially after they beat Bayern Munich to top their group. 'I think Benfica, not only in this competition, have always shown how big a club they are in Europe,' said the coach. 'In the last game they beat Bayern so they showed what they can do. Every game is tough and complicated, and anything can happen.' Have Chelsea ever won a Club World Cup? Yes. Chelsea, who have twice lifted the UEFA Champions League trophy in Europe, have lifted the Club World Cup once. The Blues lifted the title in 2021 with a 2-1 win against Brazil's Palmeiras. Romelu Lukaku and Kai Havertz scored the Blues' goals, with the winner netted by the latter in extra time. What happened the last time between Chelsea and Benfica? The teams competed for the UEFA Europa League title in 2013, with the Blues securing a 2-1 win. Fernando Torres opened the scoring on the stroke of the hour mark for the Blues with Oscar Cardozo equalising from the spot in the 69th minute. Branislav Ivanovic settled matters with a 90th-minute winner for Chelsea. Chelsea team news Wesley Fofana has joined the squad at the tournament, but the defender continues to recover from a long-term thigh injury and will miss out once again. Striker Nicolas Jackson serves the second and final game of a two-match suspension for a straight red card in the match against Flamengo. Reece James, Levi Colwill and Marc Cucurella are all in line for a return. Benfica team news Alexander Bah and Manu Silva remain long-term absentees, but midfielder Florentino Luis is in line for a comeback from a shoulder injury, having missed the last two games. Forward Andrea Belotti returns from suspension. Benfica possible starting lineup: Trubin; Aursnes, Silva, Otamendi, Carreras; Barreiro, Sanches; Di Maria, Prestianni, Schjelderup; Pavlidis Chelsea possible starting lineup: Sanchez; James, Tosin, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Neto, Palmer, Madueke; Delap Head-to-head This is the third meeting between the sides, with Chelsea winning all of the encounters. Along with their Europa League success against Benfica, the Blues won both Champions League ties in 2011-2012. Form guides Benfica form (all competitions): D-L-D-W-W Chelsea form (all competitions): W-W-W-L-W
The Sun
18 hours ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Palmeiras vs Botafogo predictions, odds and betting tips
TWO Brazilian giants go head-to-head in the FIFA Club World Cup on Saturday when Palmeiras and Botafogo clash in Philadelphia. Palmeiras clinched their place in the Round of 16 by topping Group A. Botafogo sealed their spot in the knockouts by finishing runners-up in a tough Group B on goal difference Waiting for the match to start? 📺 Keep up the live action with bet365 live casino! 👇 Palmeiras vs Botafogo odds Find the latest football betting odds for Palmeiras vs Botafogo here. Our odds are provided by our recommended football betting sites and are subject to change. Palmeiras vs Botafogo predictions The clash between Palmeiras and Botafogo is the only Round of 16 clash to not involve a club side from Europe. It's easy to forget sometimes that football isn't all about Real Madrid, PSG and Manchester City, and this is a clash that reminds us there is a world outside of Europe's elite. Palmeiras finished top of Group A, ahead of Inter Miami, Porto and Al Ahly. It wasn't the most difficult group in the competition, and the top-flight Brazilian club weren't exactly runaway winners. The Brazilians scored five points. Results included a 0-0 draw with Porto, a 2-0 win over Al Ahly and a 2-2 draw with Inter Miami. The stalemate with Messi's Miami would have felt more like a win with Abel Ferreira's team coming back from 2-0 down with ten minutes left to share the spoils in their final group fixture. Botafogo have been the surprise package of the FIFA Club World Cup. The 2024 Copa Libertadores champions aren't having their best season domestically, but they have brought a style of play to the competition that has made them hard to beat and causes problems for Europe's elite. Renato Paiva's team qualified for the Round of 16 by finishing second in Group B. This was arguably the most difficult group in the competition - consisting of European champions PSG, Atletico Madrid and Seattle Sounders. Botafogo started their campaign with a 2-1 win over the Sounders. They then stunned the world with a shock 1-0 win over PSG in their second match. The Brazilians might not have seen much of the ball (just 25%), but they defended like their lives depended on it. Their final match against Atletico was a cagey affair. With PSG always likely to beat Seattle in the corresponding fixture, avoiding a heavy defeat to Atletico was the key to qualification. Again, Botafogo gave it their all from a defensive perspective. And that was enough to see them through to the Round of 16. Palmeiras vs Botafogo betting tips Botafogo have looked the stronger of the two teams at the Club World Cup. But it's Palmeiras who hold the upper hand domestically this season, sitting four places and four points above Botafogo in the Brazilian Série A. Will domestic form prevail over knockout football when they meet at Lincoln Financial Field? Our match tips follow: Botafogo to win Botafogo have come through a real tough qualifying group to reach the Round of 16. They are also experienced campaigners when it comes to knockout football, having won the Copa Libertadores in 2024. Renato Paiva's team is defensively solid. We have already seen evidence of that in this competition. As a result, we say Botafogo will reverse their domestic form and find a way past their Série A rivals Palmeiras. Botafogo are a reasonable looking 6/5 to qualify by any method. But we are going for them to win in the regulation 90 minutes for the better odds. Under 0.5 1st half goals Abel Ferreira's Palmerias sit fourth in their domestic league. They have 22 points from 11 matches, with just 12 goals scored and eight conceded. With the greatest of respect, it's probably fair to say they can't be compared with teams like Manchester City and their brand of attacking football. Botafogo have taught the rest of the teams at this competition the art of defending. Even Atletico Madrid might have picked up a tip or two from the Brazilians, and they are hardly amateurs when it comes to setting up to not concede. We can see a cagey first half with both teams not giving much away. A bet on no goals looks like the best option. Estêvão Willian over 2.5 shots With not too many goals expected, picking out a goalscorer bet isn't easy. Chelsea-bound Estêvão Willian was tipped to be one of the breakout stars of the competition. And although this hasn't happened yet, we can still see him taking the game to Botafogo. Getting shots on target might not be easy, but we are backing Estêvão to at least have a go and register three or more shots in the match. 📺 How to watch Palmeiras vs Botafogo Location: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Date and time: Saturday 28th June, 5pm BST. How to watch: DAZN. WATCH EVERY MATCH OF THE CLUB WORLD CUP 2025 LIVE ON DAZN About the author Craig Mahood Craig Mahood is an expert in sports betting and online casinos and has worked with the company since 2020. He joined the Betting & Gaming team at The Sun in June 2022 and works closely with the leading bookmakers and online gaming companies to provide content on all areas of sports betting and gaming. He previously worked as a Digital Sports Reporter at the Scottish Sun, covering Scottish football with particular focus on Celtic and Rangers, As well as football, he has covered horse racing, boxing, darts, the Olympics and tennis for the Sun. Remember to gamble responsibly A responsible gambler is someone who: Establishes time and monetary limits before playing Only gambles with money they can afford to lose Never chase their losses Doesn't gamble if they're upset, angry or depressed Gamcare – GambleAware – For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites.
New York Times
20 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Have Club World Cup attendances really been that bad?
The group stage of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup has concluded and 48 of the tournament's 63 matches have now taken place. The competition, which is being hosted in the United States, drew plenty of criticism in the build-up — including for how many games were being held in large, out-of-town stadiums in cities traditionally lacking in football (or soccer) fandom. Advertisement So what have attendances actually been like? How many stadiums have come close to filling all of their seats? How have crowd sizes compared to the American-hosted 1994 men's World Cup and previous Club World Cups? And which have been the most and least-watched teams and groups at the tournament? Here, The Athletic dives into the numbers and lays out the facts surrounding the attendances so far. Firstly, this is what the attendance has been at each game so far at the tournament. The figures are FIFA's (the below table is sortable). FIFA has confirmed the attendance for both Mamelodi Sundowns vs Fluminense and Urawa Red Diamonds vs Monterrey (both played on June 25) was, by coincidence, exactly 14,312. The 80,619 fans who watched Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain thrash Atletico Madrid at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California is the highest attendance of the tournament so far. This match is, for now, the best-attended game in Club World Cup history. The previous highest reported attendances were the 73,000 who watched Manchester United vs Vasco da Gama (group stage) and Corinthians vs Vasco da Gama (final) at the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro in the inaugural version of the competition in 2000. The lowest attendance is the 3,412 present for South Korean side Ulsan HD's clash with Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa at the Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando, Florida on June 17, which was also delayed for 65 minutes given fears of thunderstorms. The nearby Walt Disney World averages that many visitors roughly every 30 minutes. The last men's World Cup game to have a lower attendance was Wales vs Hungary in a group-stage play-off in Sweden in 1958 (2,823) and the last Premier League match (excluding games during the coronavirus pandemic) to attract a smaller crowd was Wimbledon vs Everton at Selhurst Park in January 1993, with just 3,039 people at the ground. Advertisement It is not, however, the lowest-attended Club World Cup match ever (excluding games held during the pandemic). That distinction is held by the second-round match between Mexican club Leon and Japanese side Urawa Red Diamonds at the 2023 tournament in Saudi Arabia. Just 2,525 people (in a 27,000-capacity ground) watched Urawa win 1-0. The average attendance at the 2025 Club World Cup has been 34,759. The average across the previous 18 — much smaller — editions that were not affected by the pandemic was 32,505. While, at face value, this suggests attendances have been better than usual for the tournament, larger stadiums have been used for this edition, which must be taken into account. Here is the average attendance for each day of the tournament. The highest figure, on June 14, was set on the first day of the competition, when the only game was between Lionel Messi's Inter Miami and Egyptian side Al Ahly at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. The lowest was on June 25, when the final games in Groups E and F took place. Three of the four matches were attended by fewer than 15,000 people and just 14,312 people watched Monterrey's victory over Urawa Red Diamonds at the Rose Bowl. That meant more than 75,000 seats — a figure higher than Old Trafford's total capacity — were left empty at the stadium that hosted the 1994 World Cup final. Looking at the 12 stadiums being used for the tournament, the Hard Rock Stadium tops the list for percentage of seats filled. The ground in south Florida has been, on average, 81.8 per cent full during its six games hosted so far. Notably, two of these matches have involved Messi. The lowest is the Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando, which has only been 19.9 per cent full. The MetLife Stadium in New Jersey — which will host both the final of this tournament and next summer's World Cup, which the U.S. is jointly hosting with Canada and Mexico — has the third-lowest percentage of seats filled so far, with just under 45. The club to have played in front of the most fans so far at the tournament are record 15-time European champions Real Madrid with a total of 197,474, averaging 65,825 over their three games. And the side to have been the least-watched are Mamelodi Sundowns, who totalled 31,730 at an average of 10,577 per game. Advertisement The group with the highest total attendance was Group B (PSG, Botafogo, Atletico and Seattle Sounders) with 289,725 at an average of 48,288 per match and the one with the lowest total attendance was Group F (Borussia Dortmund, Fluminense, Mamelodi Sundowns and Ulsan HD) with 104,026, averaging 17,338. So, how does the group stage at the 2025 Club World Cup, with an average attendance of 34,759, compare to the 1994 World Cup in the U.S.? Well, that tournament 31 years ago averaged 67,526 for group-stage attendance — not far off double what we have seen this summer. As for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, that averaged 51,188 in the groups and the average attendance across the 380 Premier League games in 2024-25 was 40,423. But a word of caution when comparing different competitions across different eras: this is the first edition of the rebranded Club World Cup and it is far less popular than the World Cup and the Premier League, so the lower attendance figures are to be expected. So while crowd sizes have not been — on the whole — disastrous so far, FIFA will hope they increase during the knockout stage. And, at next year's World Cup, the sport's governing body will be desperate to avoid the scenes we have seen at several games this summer, with well over 50,000 empty seats in some stadiums. Even so, the added prestige and global interest in the World Cup will inevitably mean higher attendances in the group stage of that tournament — although ticket prices and difficulty in reaching some out-of-town stadiums could pose a challenge.
Al Jazeera
a day ago
- Sport
- Al Jazeera
Chelsea given CWC headache ahead of Porto test
Who: Chelsea vs Benfica What: FIFA Club World Cup round of 16 Where: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina, United States When: Saturday, June 28 at 4pm (21:00 GMT) How to follow: We'll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 1pm local (18:00 GMT) ahead of our live text commentary stream. Chelsea and Benfica meet in the second round of 16 tie at the FIFA Club World Cup in an all-European affair, which could easily have been a fixture straight from the UEFA Champions League. Between them, the clubs have lifted Europe's premier club competition on nine occasions, with seven of those titles going to Portuguese giants, Benfica. Al Jazeera Sport looks ahead to the match that comes with a significant headache for the English club following their late slip-up in the group stage. What is Chelsea's annoyance heading into the Benfica tie? Chelsea are facing a logistical headache at the Club World Cup after finishing second in their group, forcing an unexpected trip to Charlotte for their last 16 match instead of staying in Miami, where the club thought they would be based for the knockout stage. Travel, accommodation and training arrangements were, a source told the news agency Reuters, all made with the assumption that the West Londoners would top Group D and play their round of 16 match at Hard Rock Stadium. The detour to Charlotte means reorganising bookings and schedules at short notice, but the club still intends to return to its Miami base after the match, adding more miles to an already hectic itinerary. What happened to Chelsea in the group stage? The Blue opened their Club World Cup campaign with a 2-0 win against Los Angeles. After a 3-1 loss to Brazil's Flamengo, Chelsea only managed second place despite a 3-0 win over Esperance Tunis in their final group stage fixture in Philadelphia. How did Benfica fare in the group stage? Benfica were held to a 2-2 draw in their opening match at the FIFA Club World Cup by Boca Juniors. The Lisbon-based club then won their final two games against New Zealand's Auckland City (6-0) and Germany's Bayern Munich (1-0). Who awaits Chelsea or Benfica in the quarter-finals? The winner of Saturday's tie will return to Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia to face the winner of the all-Brazilian clash between Palmeiras and Botafogo. The #FIFACWC Round of 16 fixtures. 🔢 — FIFA Club World Cup (@FIFACWC) June 27, 2025 Have Chelsea ever won a Club World Cup? Yes. Chelsea, who have twice lifted the UEFA Champions League trophy in Europe, have lifted the Club World Cup once. The Blues lifted the title in 2021 with a 2-1 win against Brazil's Palmeiras. Romelu Lukaku and Kai Havertz scored the Blues' goals, with the winner netted by the latter in extra time. What happened the last time between Chelsea and Benfica? The teams competed for the UEFA Europa League title in 2013, with the Blues securing a 2-1 win. Fernando Torres opened the scoring on the stroke of the hour mark for the Blues with Oscar Cardozo equalising from the spot in the 69th minute. Branislav Ivanovic settled matters with a 90th-minute winner for Chelsea. Chelsea team news Wesley Fofana has joined the squad at the tournament, but the defender continues to recover from a long-term thigh injury and will miss out once again. Striker Nicolas Jackson serves the second and final game of a two-match suspension for a straight red card in the match against Flamengo. Reece James, Levi Colwill and Marc Cucurella are all in line for a return. Benfica team news Alexander Bah and Manu Silva remain long-term absentees, but midfielder Florentino Luis is in line for a comeback from a shoulder injury, having missed the last two games. Forward Andrea Belotti returns from suspension. Benfica possible starting lineup: Trubin; Aursnes, Silva, Otamendi, Carreras; Barreiro, Sanches; Di Maria, Prestianni, Schjelderup; Pavlidis Chelsea possible starting lineup: Sanchez; James, Tosin, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Neto, Palmer, Madueke; Delap Head-to-head This is the third meeting between the sides, with Chelsea winning all of the encounters. Along with their Europa League success against Benfica, the Blues won both Champions League ties in 2011-2012. Form guides Benfica form (all competitions): D-L-D-W-W Chelsea form (all competitions): W-W-W-L-W
