FIFA Club World Cup
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Paris Saint-Germain take on Real Madrid today for a place in Sunday’s FIFA Club World Cup final against Premier League side Chelsea.
Luis Enrique’s European champions have been in fine form this summer and are the narrow favorites to win today’s game, as Xabi Alonso continues to develop his fledgling Real Madrid side.
There is just one unavailable for Real Madrid today but, like Pacho and Hernandez for PSG, it was completely avoidable.
With Madrid 3-1 up against Dortmund in the final seconds of stoppage time, Dean Huijsen was shown a red card for his denial of a goalscoring opportunity which means he will have to watch from the sidelines today. He will, however, be available for a potential final as his ban lasts just one game.
All eyes will, once again, be on Kylian Mbappe after he is yet to have started at this tournament. His deputy, Gonzalo Garcia, is the joint leading goalscorer so will be expecting to retain his place in the starting XI.
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Every Club World Cup semi-finalist has been without at least one player for their last-four tie due to suspension.
PSG are without two of their defenders after Willian Pacho and Lucas Hernandez were both shown straight red cards for their irresponsible behaviour late on in the win against Bayern Munich.
Their suspensions were upgraded from the initial one-match ban, so they wouldn't have been able to play either today's semi or the potential final on Sunday — they have left the camp and returned home.
There are no injury problems for PSG to worry about, although whether Ousmane Dembele will start after making two consecutive substitute appearances remains to be seen.
MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
The final of the Club World Cup will be played here, as will next year's World Cup final. After having been to MetLife Stadium multiple times to cover the Copa América last summer, I can understand why the venue has been chosen for back-to-back FIFA tournament finals.
It’s gigantic. It’s the type of stadium that makes one feel tiny in comparison with the colossal concrete structure. Argentina’s Copa América semifinal against Canada was a prime example of what MetLife Stadium can sound like for a big international football match. The Argentines took over the ground, chanting and singing throughout the game.
We’d love to hear from you ahead of today’s game. Who do you think will win? Will the winners of today’s match automatically head into Sunday’s final against Chelsea as favorites? And what have you made of the FIFA Club World Cup more generally?
Let us know by emailing live@theathletic.com.
Every match at this Club World Cup will be broadcast around the world (where available) on DAZN.
Today’s game is scheduled to start at 3pm (ET) local time or 12pm (PT) on the west coast, which is one of the better time slots for European fans.
It is 8pm (BST) in the UK and 9pm (CET) in Central Europe.
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Hello and welcome to our live coverage of today’s 2025 FIFA Club World Cup semifinal between Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid.
The winners of today’s game will face Premier League outfit Chelsea in Sunday’s showpiece final.
Stick with us as we start counting down to kick-off and don’t forget that you can get involved throughout by emailing live@theathletic.com.