After Chelsea defeated Brazil's Fluminense in the first semi-final of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025, Real Madrid were humbled by Paris Saint-Germain in the second on Thursday. Ahead of the summit clash between the UEFA Conference League winners and Champions League winners, the question arose whether the two eliminated semi-finalists would play a third-place 'losers' final. FIFA World Cups often feature a third-place match, but the inaugural redesigned Club World Cup will not have one, as the participants need to be back home for the upcoming domestic season.
With new players allowed to be signed ahead of the tournament, and more expected to make club transfers in the coming days, the more time every team gets back home, the better for their preparations.
"There will be no third-place match, or bronze final, at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025... For the inaugural edition of this elite global competition, FIFA decided not to include this match to ensure that clubs and players who do not make the final can transition to their next commitments as soon as possible," the FIFA website confirmed. Thus, Real Madrid and Fluminense will be back home soon to start preparing for their next challenge.
On Tuesday, João Pedro scored a brace against his boyhood club in his first start for his new team, leading Chelsea into the FIFA Club World Cup final with a 2-0 semi-final victory over Fluminense in East Rutherford, New Jersey. In the much-anticipated second semi-final later on Wednesday, Fabian Ruiz scored twice and Ousmane Dembele tallied a goal and an assist as PSG eliminated Real Madrid from the FIFA Club World Cup to claim a 4-0 win.
This victory, following a 5-0 wipeout of Inter Milan in the Champions League final, reinforced that PSG may be the dominant football team of the mid-2020s. The Parisians are now one win away from a historic quadruple.