The money-spinning tournament has gone extremely well for several clubs, players and coaches – but it's been a disaster for others…
The 2025 Club World Cup concluded on Sunday night, with Chelsea lifting the trophy alongside Donald Trump after a Cole Palmer masterclass at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. It made for a surreal sight and mainly because few pundits expected the Blues to win the revamped tournament, let alone dismantle Paris Saint-Germain in the final.
However, Enzo Maresca's men fully deserved their 3-0 win, which sent their much-lauded opponents into a mini-meltdown, underlining just how seriously both teams took the game – and indeed the competition overall. The tournament suffered from several significant issues but one would be hard pressed to question the level of commitment among those involved.
But who benefited most from the expanded event? And who was left regretting their participation? GOAL runs through all the big winners and losers from the Club World Cup below…
Getty ImagesLOSER: Kylian Mbappe's timing
Kylian Mbappe missed the entire group stage with a nasty bout of gastroenteritis – but that was nothing compared to the pain inflicted upon the French forward during his eagerly-awaited reunion with Paris Saint-Germain.
Mbappe played every minute of Real Madrid's humiliating 4-0 loss to his former club but proved utterly incapable of impacting a shockingly one-sided semi-final.
Indeed, the game in New Jersey merely hammered home just how much PSG have improved since he left the Parc des Princes – and how much Real have regressed since he arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Of course, it has to be acknowledged that the Xabi Alonso era has only just got under way. Los Blancos should get better and better on the Spaniard's watch, but the size of the rebuild required has now been made shockingly clear.
Right now, Real are nowhere near PSG's level, making Mbappe's move to Madrid look one of the most poorly-timed decisions in football history.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportWINNER: Messi's Miami
Let's be honest: Inter Miami's participation in the Club World Cup was purely opportunistic, an attempt to use the 'Lionel Messi effect' to generate interest and boost ticket sales.
However, while Inter Miami definitely didn't earn their chance to perform on the global stage, they undoubtedly made the absolute most of it. The Herons may have been ultimately outclassed by PSG (there's no shame in that these days!) but they did MLS proud just by reaching the last 16.
Furthermore, despite the "bloodbath" in Orlando, Javier Mascherano's men have clearly taken a huge amount of confidence out of qualifying for the knockout stage. They've won three games on the spin since returning to MLS action, with a rejuvenated Messi scoring six times in the process.
There's every chance, then, that the Club World Cup could prove a pivotal moment in Inter Miami's season – and not just in terms of helping to convince their Argentine superstar to sign a new contract with the franchise.
GettyLOSER: PSG
Chelsea upset PSG – in every sense.
The Parisians were fully expected to beat Chelsea in much the same manner as they had Atletico Madrid, Inter Miami, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid – but their hopes of winning a historic quadruple were as good as over by half-time in the final.
Basically, the Blues overwhelmed PSG with the kind of intensive pressing and deadly transitions that Luis Enrique's side had been dismantling everyone else with for the previous six months – and there was absolutely nothing the European champions could do about it. At one point in the second half, the Olé's even came out for every Chelsea pass as an increasingly desperate PSG tried to recover the ball.
Still, nobody expected the collective head-loss which followed, with Joao Neves sent off for a pull of Marc Cucurella's hair before Luis Enrique got involved in a post-match brawl that ended with Joao Pedro on the deck.
It was all very undignified and reflected poorly on the PSG coach and his players. They're obviously not used to being outplayed – and it showed in New Jersey.
Consequently, while Luis Enrique insisted afterwards there is never any shame in finishing as a runner-up, PSG embarrassed themselves by behaving like the sorest of losers.
AFPWINNER: Cole Palmer
Cole Palmer suffered a dreadful dip in productivity during the second half of last season, with the attacking midfielder only really turning up for the Europa Conference League rout of Real Betis. He was also worryingly quiet for the majority of Chelsea's Club World Cup campaign.
However, Palmer once again proved himself to be a man for the big occasion in the States, reminding the world of his nonchalant brilliance with a delightful double and a classy assist in Sunday's final win over PSG, meaning he's now been directly involved in six goals in his past three finals for club and country.
"It's happened again. I like finals," the England international pointed out in his own inimitable, simplistic style – and, in fairness to Palmer, it really does look like absolutely nothing fazes him. Despite the searing temperatures in East Rutherford, he once again lived up to his 'Cold' nickname with a couple of ridiculously cool finishes.
Indeed, the biggest compliment you can pay Palmer is that he was the best player on a pitch graced by some of the leading contenders for this year's Ballon d'Or. There's no doubt, then, that he'll be in the running for the 2026 prize if he can continue producing these kinds of decisive and dazzling displays for Chelsea and England on the game's grandest stages.
