Chelsea Discover Their Likely Club World Cup Quarterfinal Rival

Should Chelsea successfully defeat Benfica in their FIFA Club World Cup round of 16 match this Saturday evening, the London club is already aware that Palmeiras will be their quarterfinal opponents.

A single strike from Paulinho during extra time enabled Palmeiras to secure a 1-0 victory over Brazilian rivals Botafogo, completing the match with just 10 men after receiving a red card in the closing stages. They became the initial team to book their spot in the tournament's quarterfinal round this summer.

The quarterfinal clash is scheduled to take place at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia this July, a meaningful date and venue in the birthplace of America nearly two and a half centuries ago.

Palmeiras topped Group A, finishing ahead of Lionel Messi's Inter Miami following their draw in the final group match. The Brazilian outfit had previously started with a stalemate against Porto before defeating Egyptian club Al Ahly.

Prior to Chelsea's match against Benfica even beginning, the club has already accumulated significant prize money from their Club World Cup participation. Currently, Chelsea's earnings total $40.5 million (£29.5 million), comprising their participation fee, group stage performance bonuses, and round of 16 qualification payment.

Advancing to the quarterfinals would add another $13.125 million (£9.7m) to their coffers. Progressing beyond the quarterfinals into the semifinals would then generate an additional $21 million (£15.3 million). As potential favorites in the quarterfinal stage, the Blues would be confident of advancing further, and by that point, they could have accumulated $74.6 million (£54.5 million). To put this in perspective, this amount represents nearly 12% of the club's total revenue for the 2023-24 season, which reached £468.5 million ($642.9 million).