June 2 – Los Angeles FC squeezed into the final slot of the expanded 2025 FIFA Club World Cup that kick off in two weeks with a 2-1 extra time win over Mexican giants Club America.
It is a qualification that lacks a painful amount of sporting integrity – Concacaf’s current two leading and in-form clubs, Vancouver Whitecaps and Cruz Azul, compete in the final of the Champions Cup tonight.
The winner of this year’s Champions Cup final will qualify for the 2029 Club World Cup.
Playing at their BMO Stadium in LA, the Californian team left their win late, only equalising in the 89th minute when Igor Jesus headed in a corner to level the score at 1-1 after Club America had scored in the 64th minute through a Brian Rodríguez penalty.
Denis Bouanga was LAFC’s match winner, scoring their second goal in the 115th. Oliver Giroud, on from the bench, laid the ball off for Bouanga to strike from outside the box. Club America will rue a series of missed chances and a solid perfomance from LAFC goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
LAFC have now guaranteed themselves and $9.55 million pua day at the Club World Cup, and the opportunity to earn up to $100 million from the tournament’s $100 million prize pool. Big money for a tournament that has failed to catch the imagination of few beyond football’s corporate and political elite.
LAFC will be paced ion Group D where they will face Chelsea on June 16 in Atlanta, Espérance de Tunis on June 20 in Nashville, and Flamengo on June 24 in Orlando.
A good evening’s work for a team that has very little history having only been formed in 2014 as a franchise in the US’s top tier MLS and not starting play until 2018. Since then they have twice topped the league standings going into the play-offs and once won the overall MLS Championship.
In contrast Club America were founded 108 years ago, have won a record 16 league titles, a record six Copa Mexico titles as well as a record seven Concacaf Champions League/Champions Cup titles.
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