Bundlezy My WordPress Blog

Chelsea’s season isn’t over quite yet, with the Blues set to head stateside to take part in the FIFA Club World Cup 2025.

The expanded 32-team Club World Cup is taking place across 11 cities in the United States and will run from June 15 to July 13.

The tournament includes teams from all six continental confederations and will feature Premier League sides Manchester City and Chelsea – but not the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool.

So, why exactly are Chelsea taking part in the Club World Cup this summer?

Why are Chelsea in the Club World Cup?

Clubs automatically qualify for the tournament if they have won a continental club competition in one of the four most-recent seasons before the 2024/25 campaign.

As one of the more recent winners of the Champions League in 2021, Chelsea are therefore eligible for the tournament.

The remaining teams are made up of the highest-ranking clubs in the respective continental ranking systems.

Europe is the most-represented continent with 12 clubs, followed by South America with six competing sides.

There are four clubs each from Asia, Africa and the North American and the Central American Federation. Oceania only gets one spot while the US, as hosts, have been given an extra place.

FIFA rules state that a maximum of two teams from the same country can take part, which is why Chelsea and Manchester City, who have both won the Champions League in the four years prior to this season, will be involved this summer at the expense of their Premier League rivals.

FIFA Club World Cup 2025

Group A

Palmeiras – Winners of the 2021 Copa Libertadores

Porto – Fifth-best ranked eligible team in the UEFA four-year ranking

Al Ahly – Winners of the 2020/21 CAF Champions League

Inter Miami – Winners of the 2024 MLS Supporters’ Shield

Group B

PSG – Second-best ranked eligible team in the UEFA four-year ranking

Atletico Madrid – Sixth-best ranked eligible team in the UEFA four-year ranking

Botafogo – Winners of the 2024 Copa Libertadores

Seattle Sounders – Winners of the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League

Group C

Bayern Munich – Best ranked eligible team in the UEFA four-year ranking

Auckland City – Best OFC Champions League winners in the OFC four-year ranking

Boca Juniors – Second-best ranked eligible team in the CONMEBOL four-year ranking

Benfica – Seventh-best ranked eligible team in the UEFA four-year ranking

Group D

Flamengo – Winners of the 2022 Copa Libertadores

Esperance de Tunis – Best-ranked eligible team in the CAF four-year ranking

Chelsea – Winners of the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League

Los Angeles FC – Winners of the play-in match

Group E

River Plate – Best-ranked eligible team in the CONMEBOL four-year ranking

Urawa Red Diamonds – Winners of the 2022 AFC Champions League

Monterray – Winners of the 2021 CONCACAF Champions League

Inter Milan – Fourth-best ranked eligible team in the UEFA four-year ranking

Group F

Fluminense – Winners of the 2023 Copa Libertadores

Borussia Dortmund – Third-best ranked eligible team in the UEFA four-year ranking

Ulsan HD – Best-ranked eligible team in the AFC four-year ranking

Mamelodi Sundowns – Second-best ranked eligible team in the CAF four-year ranking

Group G

Man City – Winners of the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League

Wydad AC – Winners of the 2021/22 CAF Champions League

Al Ain – Winners of the 2023/24 AFC Champions League

Juventus – Eighth-best ranked eligible team in the UEFA four-year ranking

Group H

Real Madrid – Winners of the 2021/22 UEFA Champions League

Al Hilal – Winners of the 2021 AFC Champions League

Pachuca – Winners of the 2024 CONCACAF Champions League

Red Bull Salzburg – Ninth-best ranked eligible team in the UEFA four-year ranking

Club World Cup format and how it works

The teams in each of the eight groups play each other once and the top two teams from each group will progress to the knockout stage of the competition.

The knockout stage will consist of a Round of 16, quarter-final and semi-final stage, before the final itself takes place on July 13 at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

Clubs have already been warned by FIFA that they must take their strongest squads to the tournament.

Chelsea’s previous Club World Cup campaigns

Chelsea have appeared in two Club World Cups before – in 2012 and 2021 following their Champions League triumphs in the respective years.

The west Londoners – who as the European champions were parachuted into the tournament in the semi-final stage in 2012 – beat Mexican outfit Monterrey in the last four before suffering a shock defeat to Brazilian side Corinthians in the final.

Chelsea finally got their hands on the trophy in 2021, however, beating Al-Hilal in the semi-finals and then Palmeiras in the final.

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Train passengers are being punished for accidental ‘minor transgressions’ when buying tickets, the rail watchdog has said.

With millions of people in the UK travelling by train every day, mistakes are bound to happen – whether that’s selecting the wrong railcard or catching the wrong train.

And the country’s rail ticketing system, with various train operators and websites, can be confusing – and draconian.

Now, the transport watchdog, the Office of Rail and Road, has said that train operators took disproportionately harsh measures against passengers who had made ‘genuine errors.’

The rules are so harsh that a passenger was threatened with prosecution for mistakenly selecting a 16-25 railcard discount when they had a 26-30 railcard.

Another person found out they had a criminal record when having a background check for a job, despite successfully appealing the penalty fare four years prior.

One passenger had a printed e-ticket, but it was so water-damaged it could not be scanned by staff.

Although they subsequently showed a proof of valid ticket for the journey, they were threatened with prosecution.

The passenger ended up settling out of court for £81 to avoid the risk of conviction, which is ‘a serious and potentially life changing matter,’ the watchdog said.

In a scathing new report reviewing train operators’ revenue protection practices, the watchdog made recommendations on how buying the right ticket could be simpler and how passengers are treated when ticket issues arise.

It comes after 59,000 alleged fare evasion convictions were overturned after train operators used a secretive legal loophole, the Single Justice Procedure, to fast-track prosecutions behind closed doors.

After the procedural error by train operators was revealed, the Transport Secretary commissioned the watchdog to review revenue practices to make sure that ‘fare evasion was being addressed, but in a way that was fair to passengers and in line with the correct procedures.’

Sam Williamson, 22, was threatened with prosecution after he bought the wrong ticket using his 16-25 railcard on a journey in Manchester. In the end, Northern Trains backed down on the case, which could have left the graduate with a criminal record.

The watchdog has made several recommendations after disgruntled passengers shared their experiences and after hearing from the rail industry, whose staff can face challenges ‘with aggressive and abusive behaviour’ when checking tickets.

It can be difficult for staff to distinguish between innocent mistakes and deliberate fare dodging, the report said.

Also, under railway laws, it is simply an offence not to present a valid ticket for a trip, regardless of the passenger’s intent.

Meanwhile, train fare evaders continue to be captured – some of them red-handed like a ‘short farer’ at Waterloo who avoided paying £20,000 over three years by buying a ticket only for a part of his commute.

Fare evasion and ticket revenue loss are on the rise, and it is ‘becoming normalised among certain passenger groups,’ the watchdog warned.

Fare evasion recommendations

The watchdog made five key recommendations on how the fare evasion system could improve, although they are unlikely to have any immediate impact on passengers.

Buying the right ticket should be simpler and easier

Even seasoned travellers can be caught out by different ticket types, validity, restrictions and peak/off-peak travel times. This is because the ticket retail systems are out of date.

The watchdog called for plain English explanations of ticket details, and a redesign of ticketing systems.

More consistency in how passengers are treated when there are ticket problems

Train operators have used ‘inconsistent’ approaches and legal powers, which can lead to ‘sometimes unfair or disproportionate outcomes.’

Actions to address this include adopting more consistent practices when tickets are checked and escalated based on ‘likely passenger intent.’

Introduce greater consistency and fairness on prosecutions

Passengers can face very different practices depending on the train operator if prosecuted for a mistake, including the choice of law, legal procedure, use of third-party agents and out-of-court settlements.

This is why the watchdog proposed a more consistent legal test for prosecutions based on public interest, and a wider review of revenue protection legislation in the future.

Make revenue protection information easy to access and understand

Some people, like Sam, have been caught out by the small print in the ticket T&Cs, with conditions like travel being limited to a specific time only if using a railcard.

This could be addressed by making T&C, penalty, prosecution and passenger rights information easier to find and understand.

Greater coordination, oversight and transparency of revenue protection activity

The way train operators enforce train ticket rules has ‘proliferated over time,’ while the legal framework is complex and used inconsistently depending on the company.

The ORR called for a body or forum to identify and promote best practices on revenue protection.

Rail Delivery Group, the body representing UK rail operators, said the industry will work to implement the recommendations.

A spokesperson said: ‘Fare evasion remains a significant challenge for the industry, costing the railway hundreds of millions of pounds each year.

‘That’s money that can’t be used to improve services, which increases the burden on customers and taxpayers. 

‘So we need to strike the right balance addressing genuine, honest mistakes made by customers and taking firm action against those who deliberately and persistently seek to exploit the system.’

It comes after South Western Railway was nationalised as part of the government’s plan to cut delays for passengers.

However, the change does not mean cheaper tickets as the focus is on that ‘trains arrive on time, lower levels of cancellation and a better passenger experience,’ Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander told Metro.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

Ange Postecoglou has urged Tottenham to not ‘settle’ for their Europa League success amid uncertainty over his own future at the club.

The 59-year-old guided Spurs to their first trophy in 17 years as his side sealed a 1-0 win over Manchester United in the Europa League final last month.

But Postecoglou’s future was in major doubt before the historic victory in Bilbao due to Spurs’ abysmal form in the Premier League.

A 4-1 loss at home to Brighton on the final day of the season ensured Spurs finished 17th in the Premier League, with only the relegated trio of Southampton, Ipswich Town and Leicester City losing more games.

However, during Spurs’ Europa League trophy parade in front of thousands of fans, Postecoglou gave the clearest indication yet that he would be staying at the clubfor a third campaign as he declared: ‘All the best television series… season three is better than season two.’

Despite his message to supporters, it’s understood that Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is still yet to make a final decision over Postecoglou’s future.

When asked what he meant by his message during Spurs’ trophy parade, Postecoglou said on a documentary for Australia’s ABC News: ‘I didn’t want us to just enjoy the moment, I also wanted us to think about what’s next.

‘Don’t settle for this. We’ve got a taste of it now, my players have got a taste for it, the club has got a taste for it, well, well, let’s make sure we’re back here again.’

Postecoglou also revealed that figures inside Spurs were also ‘fearing the worst’ ahead of the Europa League final.

‘We’re talking about a club who lost three finals before, in the last 17 years had made eight or nine semi-finals, that’s not a great record in big games,’ Postecoglou said.

‘There were a lot of people around the club, trust me, who were fearing the worst, probably our supporters as well.’

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.