Club World Cup Group D: Can Chelsea add another trophy to their growing list of honors?
On paper, Group D is a battle between two strong outfits fighting for first place, with the other two sides hoping that they are the tournament's dark horse.
Chelsea, Flamengo, Esperance de Tunis and LAFC make up this group, and the odds are very much against the latter two. LAFC's qualification was only confirmed on June 1 when they defeated Club America in a play-off to determine the final contestant of this year's Club World Cup.
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Meanwhile, Esperance earned their place as the best-ranked eligible team in the CAF four-year ranking, but despite winning Tunisia's domestic league and cup, the gap in quality may prove to be too great.
So for Chelsea and Flamengo, it's their group to lose and their encounter on June 20 could determine who tops it.
Here, The Athletic picks out the group favorites, the fun facts, and the storylines to watch.
(All kick-offs ET/BST)
June 16: Chelsea vs LAFC (Atlanta — 3pm/8pm)
June 16: Flamengo vs Esperance (Philadelphia — 9pm/2am June 17)
June 20: Flamengo vs Chelsea (Philadelphia — 2pm/7pm)
June 20: LAFC vs Esperance (Nashville — 6pm/11pm)
June 24: LAFC vs Flamengo (Orlando — 9pm/2am June 25)
June 24: Esperance vs Chelsea (Philadelphia — 9pm/2am June 25)
Chelsea.
After ending the season on a high by finishing fourth in the Premier League and qualifying to the Champions League, Chelsea produced a second-half comeback against Real Betis to win the UEFA Conference League.
Enzo Maresca's first season with Chelsea was an up-and-down one, but there are positive signs that the head coach had built a base on which the team can improve.
The arrival of Liam Delap for £30million ($40.7m) from Ipswich Town will be an important addition to Chelsea's squad, having prioritised his participation in the tournament over playing in the European Under-21 Championship.
Chelsea's main competition in this group are Flamengo, who are coached by an ex-Stamford Bridge left-back, Filipe Luis. Flamengo sacked their previous head coach, Tite, after being knocked out of the Copa Libertadores' quarter-finals in September, and appointed Luis to lead the side.
Flamengo's impressive run under Luis at the end of 2024 — losing only once in 11 league games and winning the Copa do Brasil — instilled belief in the new head coach, who ended his career as a player with a four-year stint at the club.
This season, Flamengo have qualified for the round of 16 of the Libertadores and currently lead Brasileiro Serie A.
Flamengo vs Chelsea.
Apart from having the best individual quality in the group, the tactical battle between the two sides will be interesting.
This iteration of Flamengo and Chelsea want to press high and control the game through ball possession. There are slight differences in how they operate.
In terms of shape, Flamengo and Chelsea play out of a 4-2-3-1, but the Brazilian side push their full-backs forward while the front four occupy narrow positions to combine in the central or wide areas.
However, it differs from one game to another depending on the characteristics of the players and the opponent. For example, Everton Soares is more keen to stick to the touchline when playing as a left-winger, which means that Flamengo's left-back would be in a narrower position or deeper in defence.
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The latter scenario means that Flamengo build the attack with three defenders, with the right-back, Wesley Franca or Guillermo Varela, occupying the right wing.
As for Chelsea, they have regularly shifted to a 3-2-4-1 or 3-1-3-3 in possession, but despite their similar focus on attacking the wide areas, Maresca's side aim to isolate their wingers in one-versus-one situations as Cole Palmer operates between the lines.
It will be interesting to see how Chelsea defend against Flamengo's dynamic combinations, which are based on the fluid movements of the front four, who have the freedom to roam centrally or overload the wide area alongside the advancing full-back.
The presence of Palmer and Moises Caicedo favors Chelsea, but Flamengo's squad isn't lacking in individual quality either.
Chelsea's geographical location, status and financial power mean that they are able to acquire the best talents in the world. The spending spree in the last couple of seasons has brought the likes of Delap, Palmer, Caicedo, Pedro Neto, Enzo Fernandez, Romeo Lavia and Marc Cucurella to Stamford Bridge.
In addition, Chelsea will be adding Brazil's hottest property to their squad after the Club World Cup: Palmeiras' Estevao Willian. Estevao will be joining the London side for a fee of €34million rising to €57m based on his current and future performances.
Flamengo can't match Chelsea's spending but they managed to acquire Jorginho, Danilo and Alex Sandro as free agents, Gerson returned to the club after a season and a half with Marseille, and their talismanic striker, Pedro, has recovered from a serious injury in time for the tournament.
It's also worth noting that Flamengo's attacking midfielder, Giorgian de Arrascaeta, is leading Brasileiro Serie A in goals (nine) and assists (four) this season. De Arrasceata has won 15 trophies with Flamengo and is the main link in the side's attack.
Wesley.
Flamengo's right-back has been tracked by Premier League clubs this season and it won't be surprising to see him in Europe soon. The 21-year-old has put on impressive displays since he broke into Flamengo's first team in 2023, earning a place in Brasileiro Serie A's 2024 team of the year.
Wesley is an attack-minded full-back who thrives in wide areas. His crosses are an important tool in Flamengo's attack, while his smart off-ball runs make him a threat in the final third.
On top of that, Wesley has the ability to dribble in tight spaces, which makes him hard to dispossess. Defensively, the right-back's physicality is a key part of his game as it allows him to recover his position and win duels.
However, his front-foot defending is a double-edged sword as he goes to ground early and is prone to losing one-versus-one situations. There's room for improvement, especially defensively, but Wesley has a profile that would be a smart addition to most teams in the world.
How LAFC perform.
The exclusion of Club Leon from the Club World Cup due to the tournament's multi-club ownership regulations provided LAFC and Club America with an opportunity.
FIFA's solution was a play-off between LAFC, the runner-up to Leon in the CONCACAF Champions Cup in 2023, and Club America, CONCACAF's highest-ranked team that had not yet qualified for the competition.
LAFC's 2-1 victory against the Mexican side booked them a spot in the tournament, with the winner coming in extra time via their striker Denis Bouanga.
LAFC haven't been enjoying the strongest campaign, losing to Inter Miami in the quarter-finals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup.
But the Club World Cup could be an opportunity to re-ignite their season and provide the ultimate parting gift for head coach Steve Cherundolo, who is leaving at the end of the year.
The career of Esperance's Youcef Belaili is a rollercoaster fit for a Netflix series.
The Algerian winger rose to African stardom in 2012-13 when he guided Esperance to the semi-finals of the CAF Champions League after finishing in second place in Tunisia's domestic league.
The story took its first turn in the following season when Esperance suspended Belaili due to disciplinary reasons. However, Belaili claimed that it was because of his refusal to extend his contract.
In June 2014, Belaili returned to his home country and joined USM Alger, helping them to reach the final of the CAF Champions League. In a doping-control test after one of the Champions League matches, Belaili tested positive for cocaine and was suspended for four years by the CAF.
Belaili appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which reduced the sentence to two years.
An unsuccessful five months at Angers in 2017 was followed by a return to Esperance, where Belaili won the domestic league and the CAF Champions League two years in a row. At the time, Belaili was one of the best players in Africa and earned a recall to Algeria's national team.
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He didn't stop there, because Belaili was the best player in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, even if he didn't receive the official award. Belaili's performance was crucial in Algeria winning the tournament.
Fast forward to 2025, and Belaili has won the domestic double with Esperance this season, scoring 18 goals and providing 16 assists across all competitions.
(Illustration: Kelsea Petersen / The Athletic; Charlotte Wilson / Getty, Wagner Meier / Getty)
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