Who: Chelsea vs Benfica
What: FIFA Club World Cup round of 16
Where: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina, United States
When: Saturday, June 28 at 4pm (21:00 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 1pm (18:00 GMT) before our live text commentary stream.
Chelsea and Benfica meet in the second round of 16 tie at the FIFA Club World Cup in an all-European affair, which could easily have been a fixture straight from the UEFA Champions League.
Between them, the clubs have lifted Europe’s premier club competition on nine occasions, with seven of those titles going to Portuguese giants Benfica.
Al Jazeera Sport looks ahead to the match that comes with a significant headache for the English club following their late slip-up in the group stage.
What is Chelsea’s annoyance heading into the Benfica tie?
Chelsea are facing a logistical headache at the Club World Cup after finishing second in their group, forcing an unexpected trip to Charlotte for their last 16 match instead of staying in Miami, where the club thought they would be based for the knockout stage.
Travel, accommodation and training arrangements were, a source told the news agency Reuters, all made with the assumption that the West Londoners would top Group D and play their round of 16 match at Hard Rock Stadium.
The detour to Charlotte means reorganising bookings and schedules at short notice, but the club still intends to return to its Miami base after the match, adding more miles to an already hectic itinerary.
What happened to Chelsea in the group stage?
The Blues opened their Club World Cup campaign with a 2-0 win against Los Angeles. After a 3-1 loss to Brazil’s Flamengo, Chelsea only managed second place despite a 3-0 win over Esperance Tunis in their final group stage fixture in Philadelphia.
How did Benfica fare in the group stage?
Benfica were held to a 2-2 draw in their opening match at the FIFA Club World Cup by Boca Juniors. The Lisbon-based club then won their final two games against New Zealand’s Auckland City (6-0) and Germany’s Bayern Munich (1-0).
Who awaits Chelsea or Benfica in the quarter-finals?
The winner of Saturday’s tie will return to Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia to face the winner of the all-Brazilian clash between Palmeiras and Botafogo.
The #FIFACWC Round of 16 fixtures. 🔢 pic.twitter.com/PSqvYGZW18
— FIFA Club World Cup (@FIFACWC) June 27, 2025
Chelsea’s Fernandez prepares for Benfica reunion
Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca has hailed the contribution of playmaker Enzo Fernandez as the Argentinian prepares to come up against his old team Benfica.
“I am very pleased with Enzo especially because first of all he is a nice and polite boy, and then with us since we started he has been working very well in every aspect on and off the pitch,” Maresca told reporters in Charlotte.
Fernandez was a vital cog in the Chelsea side that finished fourth in the Premier League to qualify for next season’s Champions League, and also featured in their run to the UEFA Conference League title.
The 24-year-old also scored a second goal as a sub in the 2-0 win over Los Angeles FC in their opening game and has started both matches since, laying on two goals in the 3-0 victory against Esperance of Tunisia.
Fernandez was signed from Benfica in February 2023 for a British transfer record fee at the time of 107 million pounds ($147m). In 2025, he has scored and assisted a total of 14 goals.
“This season he struggled a bit at the beginning to understand the way we want to play but (since) then he is doing fantastic also in terms of numbers, goals and assists,” Maresca added.
“This is what I want from attacking players – I have said many times that I prefer to have attacking players with 10-12 goals each than just one striker with 40 goals.
“His contribution has been top and I am sure it will be even better next season.”
Benfica not to be underestimated after Bayern win
Maresca has warned his players about the threat posed by their Portuguese opponents, especially after they beat Bayern Munich to top their group.
“I think Benfica, not only in this competition, have always shown how big a club they are in Europe,” said the coach.
“In the last game they beat Bayern so they showed what they can do. Every game is tough and complicated, and anything can happen.”
Have Chelsea ever won a Club World Cup?
Yes. Chelsea, who have twice lifted the UEFA Champions League trophy in Europe, have lifted the Club World Cup once.
The Blues lifted the title in 2021 with a 2-1 win against Brazil’s Palmeiras.
Romelu Lukaku and Kai Havertz scored the Blues’ goals, with the winner netted by the latter in extra time.
What happened the last time between Chelsea and Benfica?
The teams competed for the UEFA Europa League title in 2013, with the Blues securing a 2-1 win.
Fernando Torres opened the scoring on the stroke of the hour mark for the Blues with Oscar Cardozo equalising from the spot in the 69th minute.
Branislav Ivanovic settled matters with a 90th-minute winner for Chelsea.
Chelsea team news
Wesley Fofana has joined the squad at the tournament, but the defender continues to recover from a long-term thigh injury and will miss out once again.
Striker Nicolas Jackson serves the second and final game of a two-match suspension for a straight red card in the match against Flamengo.
Reece James, Levi Colwill and Marc Cucurella are all in line for a return.
Benfica team news
Alexander Bah and Manu Silva remain long-term absentees, but midfielder Florentino Luis is in line for a comeback from a shoulder injury, having missed the last two games.
Forward Andrea Belotti returns from suspension.
Benfica possible starting lineup:
Trubin; Aursnes, Silva, Otamendi, Carreras; Barreiro, Sanches; Di Maria, Prestianni, Schjelderup; Pavlidis
Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Sanchez; James, Tosin, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Neto, Palmer, Madueke; Delap
Head-to-head
This is the third meeting between the sides, with Chelsea winning all of the encounters.
Along with their Europa League success against Benfica, the Blues won both Champions League ties in 2011-2012.
Form guides
Benfica form (all competitions):
D-L-D-W-W
Chelsea form (all competitions):
W-W-W-L-W
