Chelsea secured a 2-0 victory against Los Angeles FC (LAFC) in their opening match of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025, held at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on June 16, 2025. Goals from Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernández sealed the win for the Blues, marking a positive start to their campaign. However, the match was notable for the surprisingly low attendance, with a significant number of empty seats marring the occasion.

Pedro Neto opened the scoring for Chelsea in the 34th minute. He received a pass from Nicholas Jackson on the right side, skillfully evaded LAFC defender Ryan Hollingshead, and fired a left-footed shot past former Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris into the near post.

Chelsea maintained their lead into the second half, with LAFC creating some nervy moments for the Chelsea defense. LAFC had opportunities to equalize, with David Martínez having two early chances and Denis Bouanga forcing a save from Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sánchez. However, Chelsea's defense held firm, preventing LAFC from finding a breakthrough.

In the 79th minute, Enzo Fernández extended Chelsea's lead, putting the game beyond LAFC's reach. Fernández finished off a cross from debutant Liam Delap, who had just come on as a substitute. Delap, a recent signing from Ipswich Town, made an immediate impact by providing the assist for Fernández's goal.

Despite the victory, the match was overshadowed by the sparse crowd at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. With a capacity of 71,000, the stadium was far from full, with estimates suggesting that just over 22,000 fans were in attendance. The upper tier of the stadium was entirely closed, and other levels were only partially filled.

Several factors may have contributed to the low turnout. The match was played on a Monday afternoon with a 3:00 pm local time kick-off, which likely made it difficult for local fans to attend due to work commitments. The game was scheduled to suit a British television audience. Additionally, LAFC fans had to travel over 2,000 miles from Los Angeles.

Despite the disappointing attendance, the game proceeded. Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca praised Liam Delap's quick integration into the team, noting that Delap "knows the way we want to play, so the process is quite quick." Maresca said after the match that it was a "very good result" and that "overall, the performance has been good and we won the game."

Chelsea's next match in the Club World Cup is against Brazilian side Flamengo, while LAFC will face Esperance de Tunis.