Chelsea midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall believes that the club's participation in the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 in the United States has been a significant factor in strengthening the team's bond. The Blues have progressed to the quarter-finals of the tournament and are set to face Brazilian side Palmeiras in Philadelphia on Friday night.
Dewsbury-Hall highlighted the unique experience of participating in such a prestigious tournament. He acknowledged the unusual situation of competing while other clubs are in their pre-season, emphasizing the privilege of representing Chelsea on a global stage. "It's been a different experience and you have to be grateful because not everyone gets to play in these sorts of tournaments," Dewsbury-Hall said. "It's a little strange when you see players from other teams back for pre-season and we're still playing the previous season, but it's something that you have to take as a privilege because not everyone gets to play in something like this".
The midfielder believes that the Club World Cup has facilitated the integration of new signings into the squad. Forward Joao Pedro, who recently completed a £60 million move from Brighton, could make his debut in the upcoming match. Pedro will join fellow summer signing Liam Delap. Dewsbury-Hall feels that the tournament environment has been conducive to helping these new players settle in quickly. "It brings everyone closer together and the new lads that have come in have been able to settle in a lot quicker," he stated.
Dewsbury-Hall also emphasized the positive atmosphere within the team. "It's a nice environment and we've got a nice dressing room," he said. He further added that the players are mingling well, engaging in activities such as "shopping, food, beach," which has contributed to the team's camaraderie.
Chelsea's journey to the quarter-finals has been challenging. They suffered a heavy defeat to Flamengo in the group stage and endured an extraordinary last-16 encounter with Benfica, which included a two-hour stoppage due to a thunderstorm. Despite these obstacles, Dewsbury-Hall remains optimistic and focused on the task ahead. "The feeling in the camp is to take it game by game and then, before you know it, we could be in a great position," he said. Reflecting on the dramatic win against Benfica, Dewsbury-Hall, who scored Chelsea's fourth goal, described the experience as "crazy, a really weird situation".
Looking ahead to the quarter-final against Palmeiras, Dewsbury-Hall acknowledges the difficulty of the challenge. "Nobody is overlooking Palmeiras and we have seen South American teams in this tournament have been really strong," he added. Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca had earlier noted the somewhat "strange" atmosphere at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta during their opening match against Los Angeles FC, which had a low attendance. However, he anticipated a more vibrant atmosphere in Philadelphia for the match against Flamengo, expecting a large Brazilian fanbase to be present.
Chelsea's squad for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 includes new signings such as goalkeeper Mike Penders, centre-back Mamadou Sarr, midfielder Dario Essugo, and striker Liam Delap. The team is based in Philadelphia for the group stages, with matches against LAFC, Flamengo, and ES Tunis. All 63 matches of the tournament will be broadcast on DAZN and live-streamed for free in multiple languages.
