As far as the attendances of some of the games are concerned, there was a sense of general indifference to the Club World Cup.
Fans in the United States didn’t really take to FIFA’s revamped tournament… despite Gianni Infantino’s protestations to the contrary.
But punters showed plenty of appetite for the summer showpiece, with exchange customers climbing into the final between Champions League winners PSG and Premier League outfit Chelsea on Sunday.
But unfortunately, the vast majority of them were rooting for the eventual losing side… costing them a collective £5 million.
Singing the Blues
PSG were so impressive in landing the Champions League title at the end of the 2024/25 season. And they showed no signs of slowing down at the Club World Cup, where they dismantled Real Madrid – amongst others – on their way to another major final.
Standing in their way in the curtain-call game was Chelsea, who by contrast had only just crept into the Premier League’s top four on the final day of the season.
So the Parisians were set to walk all over their English opponents, right? The betting market certainly thought so, with Luis Enrique’s side backed into 1.60 (6/10) on the exchange – taking £5 million of the total £5.9 million wagered.
PSG started brightly enough and could have taken the lead inside two minutes, but Chelsea gathered a foothold on the contest and started creating shooting opportunities of their own – Cole Palmer curling just wide after good work from Joao Pedro.
But barely ten minutes later, the dress rehearsal gave way to the real thing. This time, Palmer picked the ball up on the edge of the PSG penalty area and tucked away a glorious finish… reeling away with his ‘ice cold’ celebration, despite the 32-degree heat in New Jersey.
Did the French side learn their lesson? Non, mon ami. Eight minutes later, Palmer received the ball in a similar area before despatching a near-identikit finish into the bottom corner.
And that, for the many thousands of exchange customers that had staked £5 million between on the PSG victory, was pretty much that.
The contest wasn’t all said and done for all punters, mind. The 3-0 final scoreline had been backed at a high of 150.00 on the exchange, with more than £80,000 matched.
So there was good news for backers, but not so much for layers, when Palmer strode forward and laid a perfect through ball into the path of Joao Pedro, who lifted the ball over PSG keeper Gigi Donnarumma to put Chelsea three ahead before half time.
Fans inside the MetLife Stadium, at least those that follow football anyway, were left dumbstruck at how the first half had played out.
There was no further scoring in the second half, so those that laid PSG – or backed Chelsea to win by a 3-0 margin – were laughing extra loud when Donald Trump randomly gate-crashed the Blues’ trophy hoist.
In terms of prize money, Chelsea are now £84 million richer thanks to their endeavours in the United States. But PSG backers, collectively, find themselves £5 million in the hole.
All Change
Success in the Club World Cup has had a remarkable impact on Chelsea’s betting odds for the 2025/26 season.
The Blues were available at 28.00 at the culmination of the 2024/25 season to win the Premier League title in 2026. They’ve now been backed into 9.60 on the exchange, while punters have backed them down to 8/1 – from 16/1 – with the bookmakers.
After a fine start to his Chelsea career, Joao Pedro has been receiving support in the Premier League Top Goalscorer market. Initially available at 50/1 when the odds were published, the Brazilian has now been trimmed to 20/1 – only Erling Haaland, Mo Salah and Alexander Isak are considered more likely to clinch the Golden Boot this term.
As for Palmer, his Club World Cup exploits have had ramifications for a number of betting markets. The Englishman has been snipped to 33/1 to win the Ballon d’Or in 2025, despite experiencing a below-par second half of the Premier League campaign.
Palmer is into 25/1 to win the Premier League Golden Boot in 2025/26, while in the Top Assists category he’s a 5/2 chance, in behind Salah, Bukayo Saka and Liverpool new boy Florian Wirtz.