Top News

Chelsea now know exactly who lies ahead of them in the next two rounds of the Club World Cup. With the quarter-final against Palmeiras set for Saturday morning, their side of the bracket has since been completed.

After beating Benfica over the weekend in a dramatic, storm-impacted game,Chelsea were handed a week off to prepare for Brazilian outfit Palmeiras. They overcame Botafogo, who had beaten Paris Saint-Germain in the group stage.

Chelsea's second-place finish in their own group looked set to land them a tough last-16 tie with Bayern Munich. However, drama in their own final game saw Benfica come top, therefore heading through to face Enzo Maresca's side.

READ MORE: Chelsea unlock hidden Joao Pedro transfer benefit after £55m deal

READ MORE: Mohammed Kudus to Chelsea transfer latest amid Tottenham threat as release clause plan hatched

Although it came at the expense of losing to Flamengo, Chelsea did end up on the kinder side of the Club World Cup drawand things have continued to tilt their way. Possible semi-final opponents Manchester City are also out of the competition.

They were beaten 4-3 by Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal on Tuesday morning in a thrilling match. City had gone ahead early through Bernardo Silva only to find themselves behind after two goals in six minutes at the start of the second half.

Erling Haaland equalised before former Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly put Simone Inzaghi's new club in front again shortly into extra time. City once more came back to level the game but conceded with eight minutes to go.

No further comeback was possible for Pep Guardiola and City. They will now start their holidays earlier than anticipated, leaving Chelsea's route to the final as nice as could have been imagined.

Alhough Palmeiras will not roll over, the consensus is that they are not as strong as Botafogo, who won Serie A ahead of Estevao Willian and his current teammates last year. Chelsea will come up against the 18-year-old star for the first time ahead of his move to England later this summer.

Maresca will not downplay Palmeiras, who have already dispatched Porto in America, but knows he is expected to deliver a seimi-final given the circumstances. Chelsea will start the game as red-hot favourites.

That game could bank them up to £15million just for winning.Chelsea have already secured at least £18.1million from their tournament progress, with at least another £20million likely to come through a participation fee.

As a UEFA qualifier, Chelsea will get a much larger sum than those from CONCACAF and other confederations, but short of the maximum £29million handed out. £20million would take their earnings to £38.1million so far.

Just reaching the semi-final would take that up to £53.1million.In theory, that would nearly pay for Jamie Gittens and all of his add-ons. Although that is not how the finances work, it does go to show why this tournament has been so lucrative.

Chelsea are now almost certain to earn more than City for their work, and it could get much better still. Al-Hilal will play Fluminense in the quarter-finals with the winner due to play the successful side from Chelsea vs Palmeiras.

Fluminense were regarded ahead of the Club World Cup as being the weakest of the Brazilian sides. They have Thiago Silva still going at the heart of their defence after he left Chelsea in 2024.

If Chelsea were to beat Palmeiras and then one of Fluminense or Al-Hilal (who also drew to Real Madrid in matchday one) then they would get a minimum of £21.9million for simply reaching the final. That could rise to £29.2million if they won the whole thing.

With Inter and City out - Inter lost to Fluminense - the Club World Cup has already lost two of its strongest teams. PSG and Bayern will play in the quarter-finals on the other side of the draw, therefore seeing another favourite fall.

Real Madrid and Juventus face off on Tuesday night in the last-16 whilst Borussia Dortmund,who will be without Chelsea-bound Jamie Gittens, play Monterrey. The winners of those games will meet in the last quarter-final. They then go against Bayern or PSG in the semis.

For Chelsea, a tournament which could prove to be a major hinderance on their pre-season plans continues to offer plenty of monetary value. They have the potential to keep going deep into the Club World Cup and to make the most of it, and that has only been aided by City slipping up.