When Chelsea qualified for the Club World Cup, in 2021, nobody would have predicted the state of affairs they would be in heading into the tournament. For starters, it was a much smaller matter at that stage.
Chelsea went on to lift the old Club World Cup trophy in February 2022 after beating Palmeiras in the final. Romelu Lukaku scored, Callum Hudson-Odoi played, and Kai Havertz was still a hero.
The victory completed the set for Chelsea. The Conference League had only just started at that point and Chelsea really had won it all. Things could hardly be more different now.
Chelsea haven't lifted any silverware since the Club World Cup under Thomas Tuchel, and they have only played one more full season in the Champions League, too, courtesy of his third-place finish in 2021/22. When Tuchel's European defence came to an end at Santiago Bernabeu against Real Madrid, it was a precursor of what was to come.
Timo Werner's dramatic goal which was ruled out for offside was a premature peak. It has been largely downhill since. Chelsea have lost three cup finals under two ownerships in those three years as well as another semi-final at Wembley and would go on to be much more easily swept aside by Madrid 12 months later, the last time they played a Champions League game.
During the end-of-season scramble in 2022, Chelsea were sold by Roman Abramovich. He had been placed on a list of names sanctioned by the UK government for alleged links to the Kremlin following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Abramovich's immortality and presence remain at Stamford Bridge, regardless. His name is sung regularly nowadays, especially with discontent growing towards the Clearlake Capital-Todd Boehly consortium in charge. Abramovich will always be a popular figure for Chelsea supporters regardless of the murky shadow which often accompanies him.
It is down to Abramovich's Chelsea that Clearlake-Boehly are set to get a minimum of £9.92million for playing in this summer's revamped Club World Cup. Just nine months on from Chelsea winning the tournament under his watch, a new format was confirmed by FIFA.
Despite failing to get back into the Champions League since being sold by Abramovich, Chelsea's place in America was secured by Tuchel. FIFA's rules for the expanded 32-team model included a set of legacy entries.
Across a four-year qualifying cycle, FIFA welcomed the clubs winning each federation's main competition, which is the Champions League for UEFA and Europe. That put Chelsea in the mix in spite of their 12th and sixth-place Premier League finishes in the last two seasons.
Earlier this week the prize money for the tournament was revealed, offering more incentive for Chelsea to go all-out to win it. Just for playing the three group stage matches, Chelsea and other European teams could bank up to £29.58million depending on ranking and revenue.
There are win bonuses throughout, and Chelsea know that lifting the inaugural version of the new Club World Cup is worth a massive £96.83million. Given the on-field struggles since the ownership change and the need for more funds under Clearlake-Boehly after an ambitious transfer strategy yet to reap its full rewards, this is a major boost.
Chelsea have spent the 2024/25 season without a front-of-shirt sponsor, leaving a hole of £40million in the accounts. There is then the absence of top-level European football to take into consideration. Winning the Conference League, for example, is not as lucrative as simply turning up for the Club World Cup or Champions League.
The group ahead of Chelsea should provide a way into the knockout rounds, which will increase the reward money too. None of this would have been on the cards without Abramovich's free ticket into the competition.
What the money will do for Chelsea is provide a potential platform to spend in the summer on transfers. It may also just aid their financial position for the 2024/25 accounts. Either way, it is a significant sum.
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Chelsea flag prior the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Leg One match between Chelsea FC and Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge. (Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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