LAFC Players Living the Dream: We're Going to the Club World Cup!
Get ready, LA! Your Black & Gold are heading to the biggest global stage in club football! Players from Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) are absolutely buzzing after securing their spot in the brand-new, expanded FIFA Club World Cup 2025™, calling it a "dream come true."
After a nail-biting 2-1 playoff win against Mexico's Club América right here at home in BMO Stadium, the feeling in the LAFC camp is pure joy. They've earned the right to be one of just 32 elite clubs from around the world battling it out in the tournament's very first edition this summer.
"It's so big for us," beamed Colombian defender Eddie Segura after the final whistle.
"We're so happy to be there to represent LAFC, to represent the league... and obviously to play for everyone who has been part of LAFC."
US defender Aaron Long echoed that excitement, emphasizing the hard work behind the achievement: "We feel amazing. It was a hard-fought game and now we get to be in a tournament that we feel like this club has worked so hard for... It's amazing for us. We really wanted this one."So, Who Do They Play?
Buckle up, because LAFC landed in a stacked Group D! Coach Steve Cherundolo's squad will face:
- Chelsea FC (England)
- Espérance Sportive de Tunis (Tunisia)
- CR Flamengo (Brazil)
The group stage kicks off right here in the USA:
- June 16th: vs. Flamengo in Atlanta
- June 20th: vs. Espérance Tunis in Nashville
- June 24th: vs. Chelsea in Orlando
A Dream Realized
For Spanish defender Sergi Palencia, the significance wasn't lost on the home crowd: "We are so happy that today we could do it here with our people... now let's leave with a dream there in the Club World Cup: it is a dream come true for us."
Even FIFA's Chief Football Officer, Jill Ellis (a two-time Women's World Cup-winning coach herself!), was swept up in the electric atmosphere at BMO Stadium. "It was a phenomenal atmosphere... incredibly loud, (and an) exciting match," she said. Ellis sees this as a massive opportunity: "It's the chance to go out and compete for a title... tremendous for the players, the coach, and obviously for the city of LA... amazing representation in the first ever Club World Cup."
She had a special message for the famously passionate LAFC supporters too: "LA fans, they travel. And so hopefully we get a lot of them out there to cheer on their team."
The Bigger Picture
The whole tournament kicks off on June 14th at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium, featuring Egyptian giants Al Ahly against Inter Miami. It promises to be the most inclusive global club competition ever, with a whopping 63 matches spread across 11 US cities: Atlanta, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, New York/New Jersey, Orlando, Philadelphia, Seattle, and Washington, D.C.
For LAFC, the dream is now reality. They fought hard, they won their ticket, and they can't wait to represent Los Angeles and Major League Soccer against the world's best. The countdown to the Club World Cup is officially on!