The tournament delivered spectacle and a clear warning: hosting the world's biggest sporting event next summer will take more than world-class stadiums.

The inaugural 32-team Club World Cup wrapped up on Sunday with plenty of lessons learned for organisers FIFA, with the tournament in the United States, won by Chelsea, acting as a preview of the 2026 World Cup.

A remarkable list of VIPs filed into MetLife Stadium on Sunday to witness Chelsea’s defeat of Paris Saint-Germain in the FIFA Club World Cup final, and many of them were not connected to soccer.

Some of Mauricio Pochettino's roster spots were likely earned (Matt Freese) at the 2026 World Cup while others were cemented, tattooed, or written in permanent marker (Malik Tillman).

Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez has urged Fifa to re-think kick-off times to mitigate the 'very dangerous' heat in the United States at the Club World Cup.

Fans said it took 'two seconds' to enter the stadium for the Chelsea vs. PSG match today, despite added security for President Trump's attendance.

The United States hosted the Club World Cup in 2025 — the first edition of the club football competition under FIFA's controversial new expanded format.

"It was, in some games, a problem,” said famed former Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger, who is now FIFA's chief of global soccer development. He added that "we learned a lot" to prepare for next year.

Despite the reluctance of some European teams to participate in the first FIFA Club World Cup, the development of the competition and the arrival of the final phase showed that the

Luna recently became the talk of the American soccer world as he led the United States through the Concacaf Gold Cup. Just four days after the U.S.’s loss in the final, Luna was sitting in Real Salt Lake’s training facility in Herriman, Utah, speaking with media about his Gold Cup campaign and return to Real Salt Lake.