Wesley Fofana will not be part of Chelsea’s squad for the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup in the United States, with the club opting to manage his recovery carefully following hamstring surgery. The 24-year-old French centre-back, highly rated by new Blues boss Enzo Maresca, is continuing rehabilitation after going under the knife in April. Rather than risk a premature return, Chelsea have taken a long-term approach, choosing to preserve Fofana’s fitness with an eye on the Premier League campaign. Despite not being named in the final FIFA list, it is understood Fofana may still travel to the U.S. to remain involved in the squad environment.
Key absentees and surprising omissions in final squad list
Chelsea have submitted their final 23-man list for the tournament, which begins this weekend, with the Blues set to face Los Angeles FC in Atlanta on Monday. Alongside Fofana, Maresca has omitted Djordje Petrovic, Raheem Sterling, Joao Felix, and Axel Disasi—all of whom were out on loan during the latter half of the 2024/25 season. Petrovic’s absence has raised eyebrows given his standout performances at Strasbourg and Chelsea’s uncertainty in goal. In contrast, loanees Andrey Santos and new arrivals Liam Delap, Dario Essugo, and Mamadou Sarr have been included.
Chelsea eye knockout reinforcements amid transfer challenges
As per Club World Cup regulations, Chelsea can revise their squad between June 27 and July 3 ahead of the knockout stages. The club had hoped to include Jamie Gittens and Mike Maignan, but late moves for both fell through before FIFA’s final registration deadline. Chelsea head into the tournament off the back of a strong 2024/25 season, having secured fourth place in the Premier League and lifted the Europa Conference League trophy.