The open-top buses of London will remain stubbornly unbooked next week regardless of the result of Sunday’s final in Gianni Infantino’s Club World Cup.
Chelsea will take on Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain in New Jersey hoping to maximise the profitability of their summer visit to the United States and claim whatever bragging rights are available from a competition nobody wants.
The Blues will leave America with up to £87.5 million in their back pockets and players are expected to be handsomely rewarded for their efforts at the end of a monstrously long 2024-25 season.
Why won’t there be an open-top bus parade if Chelsea win the Club World Cup?
It would be easy to sneer at the idea that a parade after an unpopular competition might be poorly attended or indeed the notion that Chelsea have the wherewithal to topple PSG at MetLife.
But there won’t be a parade back in London on Monday, Tuesday or any other day, for the simple reason that Chelsea have rather sensibly chosen not to hold one.
“Any decision to host a parade would have been unpopular with the squad, according to sources close to multiple different players, with the majority keen for a holiday,” reports Nazaar Kinsella for BBC Sport.
“Many Chelsea players are planning to travel to destinations in the Caribbean and Los Angeles following the final in New York, with families attending the game.”
And why not? Chelsea’s season has already ticked over the ridiculous 12-month mark and the players are presumably knackered.
Enzo Maresca’s Blues have made serene progress through the tournament since overcoming a group stage defeat at the hands of Flamengo, scoring 11 goals in their last four matches.
New signing Joao Pedro scored twice in the semi-final to knock out Fluminense, the Rio de Janeiro club where he spent eight years.
PSG have conceded one goal in eight matches since the end of the Ligue 1 season, winning the Coupe de France and Champions League finals to nil before setting off for the USA.
Luis Enrique’s side lost 1-0 to Botafogo in the Club World Cup group stage but have put four each past Atletico Madrid, Inter Miami and Real Madrid. Seattle Sounders and Bayern Munich were each beaten 2-0 and PSG look sure to be every bit as challenging for Chelsea.
Maresca guided the Blues back into the Champions League at the first time of asking and added the Conference League title for good measure, but it’s been an exhausting campaign.
Chelsea have given their players three weeks off before the start of the 2025-26 season but questions should and will be asked about the viability of the Club World Cup.
“The Premier League are unwilling to move Chelsea's opening match and are understood to have expressed concerns to FIFA about the calendar being expanded to host this tournament,” writes Kinsella.
