Hello and welcome to **football.london** for live coverage of Chelsea's FIFA Club World Cup opener against Los Angeles FC this evening.
The Blues kick off their Club World Cup campaign tonight as MLS side LAFC provide the opposition after replacing Club Leon in the revamped competition. Less than a month after Enzo Maresca and his players lifted the Conference League trophy in Wroclaw, they are back in competitive action again today.
Maresca has named a 28-man squad for the tournament in the United States, including four new signings in Liam Delap, Mike Penders, Dario Essugo and Mamadou Sarr. All four will be hoping to make their debuts this evening at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
It will be interesting to see just how strong the Chelsea head coach goes with his line-up given how many players have just returned from international duty. We will hear the official team news at around 7pm (BST), with the scheduled kick-off time of 8pm.
You can follow all of the pre-match build-up as well as every ball that is kicked right here with **Bobby Vincent** on hand to bring you right up to date. Stay tuned!
16:02Bobby Vincent
Tonight's match between Chelsea and Los Angeles FC is **free** to watch! You can sign up to a DAZN account here and watch the game free of charge.
Alternatively, the match is being shown on 5 (formerly Channel 5) on UK television, with coverage beginning at 7pm UK time.
Kick-off at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium is 3pm local time and 8pm in the UK.
Chelsea will face LAFC at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in the Club World Cup (Image: Andrew J. Clark/ISI Photos/Getty Images)
KEY EVENT
Hello and welcome to **football.london** for live coverage of Chelsea's FIFA Club World Cup opener against Los Angeles FC this evening!
The Blues, who are one of the favourites to win the competition, are looking to wrap up their impressive 2024/25 campaign in style with triumph in the United States.
After leading his young squad to a top-four finish and success in the Conference League, Enzo Maresca will be hoping to add another trophy to the club's cabinet over the course of the next month.
That all starts this evening with Los Angeles standing in Chelsea's way.
Enzo Maresca on the plane to the United States (Image: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC)