These two clubs have only ever met three times before. Chelsea beat Benfica in the quarter-finals of the Champions League 13 years ago, prevailing 1-0 at Estádio da Luz and then 2-1 at Stamford Bridge, en route to winning the competition for the very first time.
Just over a year later, the duo met again, this time in the Europa League Final at the Johan Cruijff Arena, with Chelsea prevailing 2-1 again, thanks to Branislav Ivanović's stoppage time header.
Benfica vs Chelsea preview
Can Chelsea keep alive their Club World Cup dreams with victory in North Carolina? The Blues endured a mixed group stage campaign at this tournament, finishing second in Group D, behind Flamengo, largely due to the fact they were beaten 3-1 by the Brazilian side eight days ago. That afternoon in Pennsylvania, despite leading through Pedro Neto early on, Flamengo hit back with two goals in three minutes, before Nicolas Jackson was then sent off for a horrendous tackle.
Nevertheless, either side of that defeat in Philly, Enzo Maresca's side enjoyed comfortable victories over both LAFC and Espérance Sportive de Tunis, swatting aside the latter 3-0 on Tuesday night; Tosin Adarabioyo, Liam Delap and Tyrique George all on target. So, by ending up as group runners-up. Chelsea have actually inadvertently ended up on the easier side of the draw, and are favourites here.
Well, when Chelsea were condemned to second place, they were resigned to facing Bayern Munich, but Benfica had other ideas. In mid-week, as Águias pulled off a major shock, beating the Bundesliga champions 1-0 at Bank of America Stadium, thanks to Andreas Schjelderup's early strike.
This saw Bruno Lage's side snatch first place in Group C, having fought back from 2-0 down to earn a draw against Boca Juniors, before a comfortable 6-0 dismantling of Auckland City in Orlando. Benfica were beaten in back-to-back Intercontinental Cups in the early '60s, with this their Club World Cup debut, so, having already defeated one European heavyweight, can they now knockout another?
The winners of this tie in Charlotte will face either Palmeiras or Botafogo in the quarter-finals in Philadelphia on Friday, so which way will this clash in North Carolina go?
Benfica vs Chelsea head-to-head record
- Matches Played: 3.
- Benfica Wins: Zero. Draws: Zero. Chelsea Wins: 3.
Benfica team news
Álvaro Carreras can return at left-back, have served his one-match suspension against Bayern Munich, allowing Samuel Dahl to return to the right, with Fredrik Aursnes back in midfield.
Elsewhere, having scored the winner on Tuesday, Andreas Schjelderup could keep his place out-wide, chosen over Kerem Aktürkoğlu, with Ángel Di María, who will re-join Rosario Central after this tournament, on the opposite side, hoping this isn't his last match for Benfica.
Benfica predicted lineup vs Chelsea: (4-3-3): Trubin; Dahl, Otamendi, António Silva, Carreras; Kökçü, Sanches, Aursnes, Di María, Schjelderup; Pavlidis.
Benfica player to watch vs Chelsea
Vangelis Pavlidis has scored 30 goals during his first season at Benfica, including hat-tricks against Barcelona and Porto, so can the Greek striker bag another big goal in Charlotte?
Chelsea team news
Enzo Maresca has rotated his team throughout this tournament, so his team selection here will give us an idea as to whom has impressed him. Nicolas Jackson remains suspended, having been hit with a two-match ban for his red card against Flamengo, so new signing Liam Delap will lead the line.
Elsewhere, three differec centre-back combinated have been deployed so far, but Tosin Adarabioyo alongside Levi Colwill appears to be the first-choice duo. Goalkeeper Robert Sánchez, Reece James, Marc Cucurella, Moisés Caicedo, Cole Palmer and Pedro Neto are all set to return, having been rested against Espérance Sportive de Tunis.
Chelsea predicted lineup vs Benfica: (4-3-3): Sánchez; James, Adarabioyo, Colwill, Cucurella; Lavia, Caicedo, Fernández, Neto, Palmer; Delap.
Chelsea player to watch vs Benfica
Liam Delap opened his Chelsea account against ES Tunis on Tuesday so, once again set to start in attack, can he fire them through to the quarter-finals?
Benfica vs Chelsea prediction
We are backing Chelsea for victory in North Carolina, making the Blues quite strong favourites to beat a Benfica side who surely can't upset the odds again, even it it'll be close: Benfica 1-2 Chelsea.
Benfica vs Chelsea FAQs - FIFA Club World Cup
How to watch Benfica vs Chelsea FIFA Club World Cup game on TV channel?
Benfica vs Chelsea FIFA Club World Cup game will be available on the following TV channels;
- UK: DAZN UK
- USA: DAZN USA.
- Canada: DAZN Canada
How to watch Benfica vs Chelsea FIFA Club World Cup game on live streaming?
Benfica vs Chelsea FIFA Club World Cup game will be available on the following streaming services;
- UK: DAZN UK
- USA: DAZN USA.
- Canada: DAZN Canada
What is the date and kick-off time for Benfica vs Chelsea in the FIFA Club World Cup?
Benfica vs Chelsea takes place on Saturday 28 June 2025, with kick off at 21:00 (BST), 16:00 (EDT) & 13:00 (PDT).