The FIFA Club World Cup was the only major international trophy missing from Chelsea's cabinet and it filled that hole in the 2022 edition.
Having lost its only other final appearance at the FIFA Club World Cup in 2012 at the hands of another Brazilian club Corinthians, Chelsea didn't allow history to repeat itself when it faced Palmeiras for the 2022 crown.
Thanks to a Kai Havertz penalty-kick goal deep in extra time, Chelsea came away with a 2-1 win and celebrated with long-time club owner Roman Abramovich in Abu Dhabi, where the tournament was hosted.
The Blues had knocked off Asian champion Al Hilal in the semifinal stage on a lone goal from Romelu Lukaku and the Belgian forward scored again in the final to help Chelsea earn the crown of world champion.
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Has Chelsea ever won the FIFA Club World Cup?
Prior to its 2022 triumph, Chelsea had only appeared in the tournament once before, in 2012, and the Blues fell to Brazilian side Corinthians in the final.
The Chelsea loss in 2012 is also the last time the European participant did not win the crown. Since that edition, every FIFA Club World Cup has been won by the UEFA Champions League title holder.
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Only two English clubs won the title before Chelsea, with Manchester United claiming it in 2008 with a 1-0 final win over Ecuadorian side LDU Quito, while Liverpool won it in 2019 with a 1-0 defeat of Flamengo in the title bout.
🥅 🏖#ClubWorldCup pic.twitter.com/tzonChBk6q
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) February 8, 2022
Chelsea is also not the only English side to fall in the Club World Cup final. In 2005, just the second edition of the competition, Liverpool was defeated 1-0 by Brazilian club Sao Paulo in the final.
Below is a full rundown of all FIFA Club World Cup winners and runners-up since the new tournament format was introduced in 2000 and English clubs are indicated in bold. (The 2001 tournament was cancelled due to the collapse of FIFA marketing partner ISL and the event did not resume again until 2005.)
| Year | Host | Winner | Score | Runner-Up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Brazil | Corinthians | 0-0 (4-3 PKs) | Vasco da Gama |
| 2005 | Japan | Sao Paulo | 1-0 | Liverpool |
| 2006 | Japan | Internacional | 1-0 | Barcelona |
| 2007 | Japan | AC Milan | 4-2 | Boca Juniors |
| 2008 | Japan | Man United | 1-0 | LDU Quito |
| 2009 | UAE | Barcelona | 2-1 (a.e.t.) | Estudiantes |
| 2010 | UAE | Inter Milan | 3-0 | TP Mazembe |
| 2011 | Japan | Barcelona | 4-0 | Santos |
| 2012 | Japan | Corinthians | 1-0 | Chelsea |
| 2013 | Morocco | Bayern Munich | 2-0 | Raja Casablanca |
| 2014 | Morocco | Real Madrid | 2-0 | San Lorenzo |
| 2015 | Japan | Barcelona | 3-0 | River Plate |
| 2016 | Japan | Real Madrid | 4-2 (a.e.t.) | Kashima Antlers |
| 2017 | UAE | Real Madrid | 1-0 | Gremio |
| 2018 | UAE | Real Madrid | 4-1 | Al-Ain |
| 2019 | Qatar | Liverpool | 1-0 (a.e.t.) | Flamengo |
| 2020 | Qatar | Bayern Munich | 1-0 | UANL Tigres |
| 2022 | UAE | Chelsea | 2-1 (a.e.t.) | Palmeiras |