Los Angeles FC at the Club World Cup: rivals, games and dates

In a stunning turn of events, Los Angeles FC defied all odds to secure the last available berth at this summer’s expanded FIFA Club World Cup.

The MLS team’s dramatic 2-1 victory over Club América in the Play-In match was sealed by Igor Jesus, who leveled the score in the 89th minute, and Denis Bouanga, who delivered the game-winning strike in extra-time.

LAFC take León’s place at the Club World Cup

The triumph secures LAFC’s place on the global stage - redemption for falling just short in the 2023 Concacaf Champions Cup final, which they lost to León - ironically, the team which they will replace at the Club World Cup.

León had originally secured one of four CONCACAF berths at the Club World Cup (as 2023 Concacaf Champions Cup winners) but were disqualified by FIFA after breaching multi-club ownership rules.

This will be LAFC’s first appearance at the Club World Cup and their first participation in an intercontinental soccer tournament.

LAFC’s Club World Cup rivals

Steve Cherundolo’s team land in Group D alongside tough opponents: Chelsea (who won the 2021 edition), Espérance de Tunis (the best-ranked eligible team in the CAF four-year ranking) and 2022 Copa Libertadores winners Flamengo, who will be making their fourth appearance at the tournament.

The Black & Gold will kick off their tournament campaign on June 16 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, where they will face Chelsea, the newly-crowned Conference League champions. After that, LAFC travel to Nashville for their second match against Espérance de Tunis on June 20, before concluding the group stage in Orlando with a showdown against Flamengo on June 24.

The top two teams in each of the eight groups advance to the knockout round.

Should Cherundolo’s team progress to the Round of 16, they will face one of the top two teams from Group E, which features River Plate (Argentina), Inter Milan (Italy), Urawa Red Diamonds (Japan), and Monterrey (Mexico).

The 2025 Club World Cup, the first edition of the tournament to feature 32 teams, starts on 14 June and concludes on 13 July. TNT Sports have the rights to broadcast the tournament in the United States and will air 24 out of the 62 games, including the final.

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