Chelsea opened their 2025 FIFA Club World Cup campaign with a 2-0 win over Los Angeles FC, thanks to goals from Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez, but the match at Atlanta’s 71,000-capacity Mercedes-Benz Stadium drew a surprisingly low turnout.
Only 22,000 spectators were in attendance for the Group D clash, leaving nearly 50,000 empty seats despite falling ticket prices. Organisers attributed the low numbers to the Monday 3:00 p.m. kickoff, which appeared to prioritize European TV audiences over local convenience.
Despite the sparse crowd, Chelsea delivered a controlled and composed performance. Pedro Neto opened the scoring in the first half, capitalizing on a sharp pass from Nicolas Jackson, and slicing past LAFC’s Ryan Hollingshead before beating Hugo Lloris at the near post.
Liam Delap, the Blues’ new £30 million signing from Ipswich Town, came on in the second half for his Chelsea debut and played a key role in the second goal, driving forward and crossing for Fernandez, who slotted home from close range to seal the victory.
LAFC had chances of their own — most notably through Denis Bouanga, whose close-range effort was denied by Robert Sanchez. Former Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud featured for the MLS side but failed to make a significant impact after coming on at halftime.
Despite the win, Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca may be concerned about the lukewarm local reception to the expanded Club World Cup, especially after a weekend of stronger attendance figures.
Chelsea now look ahead to their next group game, while Group D rivals Esperance Tunis and Flamengo were set to clash later on Monday.
