Chelsea Begin Club World Cup Campaign with Win Over LAFC

Chelsea opened their FIFA Club World Cup campaign with a confident 2-0 victory over Los Angeles FC in Group D on Monday, though the match was overshadowed by a disappointingly low turnout at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Goals from Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez secured the win for the Blues in what was a competitive encounter against one of Major League Soccer’s three representatives in the tournament. The game, however, drew just over 22,000 spectators in a stadium designed to host more than 71,000—leaving nearly 50,000 seats empty.

New signing Liam Delap made his Chelsea debut off the bench, playing a key role in setting up Fernandez’s late goal. The Premier League side are aiming to build on their recent UEFA Conference League success and Champions League qualification by making a deep run in the competition.

Despite a promising start to the tournament’s attendance over the weekend, Monday’s early 3:00 p.m. kickoff—seemingly tailored for UK television audiences—dampened local turnout. While Atlanta United regularly draws large MLS crowds, few locals were willing to take a weekday afternoon off to attend the match.

Former Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, now with LAFC, faced a busy afternoon as Chelsea took control early. He was called into action to deny efforts from Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke, while Cole Palmer narrowly missed the target with a powerful effort.

Jackson, eager to retain his starting role amid fresh competition, played a pivotal part in Neto’s opener. The Senegalese striker delivered a perfectly weighted pass to the Portuguese winger, who danced past LAFC’s Ryan Hollingshead before firing low past Lloris at the near post.

At the break, ex-Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud was introduced for LAFC, aiming to add threat to an attack that had struggled in the first half. But Chelsea continued to press, with Jackson going close again and goalkeeper Robert Sanchez making a crucial save to deny Denis Bouanga.

Delap entered the match just after the hour mark and immediately impressed. The 22-year-old drove into the final third and delivered a precise low cross for Fernandez, who controlled calmly before finishing past Lloris to seal the win.

The top tier of the stadium was entirely closed off, and large swaths of other sections remained unfilled, even after ticket prices were slashed in the days leading up to the match. LAFC, who qualified for the tournament after a May playoff win over Club America, are replacing banned Mexican side Club León but are not playing any of their group matches in California.

Elsewhere in Group D, Tunisia’s Esperance were scheduled to face Brazilian giants Flamengo later on Monday.