Joao Pedro scored twice against his boyhood club Fluminense to send Chelsea into the final of the FIFA Club World Cup with a 2-0 victory at the MetLife Stadium on Tuesday night — but his celebrations were muted in a poignant reunion with his past.

The 23-year-old Brazilian striker, who signed for Chelsea from Brighton just six days ago, delivered two clinical finishes — one in the 18th minute and another early in the second half — to seal the Blues’ place in Sunday’s final.

Pedro, who came through the ranks at Fluminense and made his professional debut there, raised his hands in apology after both goals, showing visible restraint even as his Chelsea teammates celebrated around him.

“They gave everything to me,” Pedro said post-match. “They showed me to the world. If I’m here, it’s because they believed in me. I’m very grateful, but this is football — I have to be professional. I feel sorry for them, but I have to do my job.”

The goals came in only his second appearance for Chelsea, having made his debut off the bench in a 2-1 quarter-final win over Palmeiras on Friday with minimal time in training.

“Today I started, and I had more time to do my stuff. I had to score. The team won, the team played well — that’s important,” he said in a televised interview.

Pedro’s signing follows Chelsea’s acquisition of Liam Delap as the London club moves to address its attacking depth. With his early impact, Pedro has already justified his arrival.

Chelsea now await the winner of Wednesday’s second semi-final between Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid. The Club World Cup final will take place on Sunday, again at the MetLife Stadium.

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 U.S. President Donald Trump will attend Sunday’s Club World Cup final in East Rutherford, New Jersey, he said at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, as world soccer’s ruling body FIFA announced it had opened an office in New York’s Trump Tower.

The expanded tournament featuring many of the world’s best club teams has been widely seen as a dry run for the 2026 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico with a record 48 national teams taking part.

Sunday’s Club World Cup final at MetLife Stadium will be a preview of next year’s championship match, with the home of the NFL’s New York Jets and Giants also hosting the 2026 finale.

“I’ll be going to the game,” Trump told reporters.

The news came a day after FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced the opening of a representative office at Trump Tower, where the Club World Cup trophy will be on display until the final.

“We have received such a big support from the government and from the President with the White House Task Force for the FIFA Club World Cup (now) and for the FIFA World Cup next year,” Infantino said.

Trump has not shied away from sport’s super-sized spotlight during his second term, becoming the first sitting president to attend a Super Bowl in February, and in May announcing D.C. as the host for the 2027 NFL Draft from the Oval Office.

His immigration crackdown and travel ban on 12 countries have prompted concerns ahead of the 2026 World Cup, however, even as Infantino offered assurances that the world will be welcomed in the U.S. for the quadrennial global showpiece event.

A memo obtained by Reuters last month showed that the Trump administration was considering significantly expanding its travel restrictions by potentially banning citizens of 36 additional countries from entering the U.S.

-Reuters

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French national team captain Kylian Mbappé has formally withdrawn his complaint of moral harassment against his former club, Paris Saint-Germain, just days before a highly anticipated reunion in the semi-finals of the FIFA Club World Cup. The update was confirmed to AFP on Monday by his lawyer, Pierre-Olivier Sur, following a report by L’Équipe.

“As Real Madrid prepares to face PSG on Wednesday in the Club World Cup semi-final in the United States, we are withdrawing our civil action,” Sur stated.

Mbappé had originally filed a complaint on May 16, accusing PSG of “moral harassment” and “attempted extortion of signature” related to the club’s use of “lofting”—a controversial practice in football where players are excluded from first-team activities as a form of pressure. In this case, Mbappé was placed in the “loft” during the summer of 2023 after refusing to sign a contract extension.

Following the complaint, the Paris public prosecutor’s office opened a judicial investigation on June 24. Two investigating judges were assigned to the case. While the formal investigation remains open, the player’s decision to withdraw may prompt a reassessment by the judicial authorities.

The legal dispute between Mbappé and PSG extends beyond the criminal complaint. The 26-year-old forward, who left PSG on a free transfer to Real Madrid in the summer of 2024, is also demanding €55 million in unpaid wages and bonuses. According to sources close to the player, no agreement was in place with the club regarding those payments. PSG has dismissed the claim as a “fantastic story.”

In April, Mbappé obtained a precautionary court order to freeze the €55 million in PSG’s accounts.

However, that decision was overturned on May 26. Despite this, a source close to the matter says the funds remain seized pending an appeal hearing, for which a date has not yet been set.

Mbappé, who is expected to feature for Real Madrid against his former club on Wednesday, spent seven years at PSG, where he became their all-time top scorer before his contentious departure.

The semi-final match in New Jersey will mark the first time he faces PSG since leaving, adding further intrigue to an already dramatic storyline.

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