Latest news with #ClubLeon
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Chelsea face Olivier Giroud reunion at Club World Cup after Los Angeles FC win dramatic play-off
Celebration: Olivier Giroud and his Los Angeles FC team-mates react after sealing qualification for the Club World Cup (Getty Images) Olivier Giroud played a key role for Los Angeles FC to set up an opening reunion with Chelsea at the forthcoming FIFA Club World Cup. Major League Soccer (MLS) side LAFC came out on top in a tense qualifying play-off against Mexican giants Club America on home soil at the BMO Stadium on Saturday night. Advertisement Gabon winger Denis Bouanga netted a dramatic 115th-minute winner for Steve Cherundolo's side in extra time after Brian Rodriguez's penalty had earlier been cancelled out by a late equaliser from Igor Jesus in normal time. Giroud provided the assist for Bouanga's crucial goal after a stylish passage of play also involving Frankie Amaya, helping to ensure that he would face former club Chelsea at the Club World Cup. LAFC's victory means they will go into Group D at the inaugural expanded 32-team summer Club World Cup being played in the United States this month, with their opening game to come against Conference League winners Chelsea at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on June 16. They will then travel to Geodis Park in Nashville to meet Tunisian club Esperance de Tunis on June 20, before concluding their group campaign against Brazilian outfit Flamengo at Orlando's Camping World Stadium on June 24. Advertisement The winners of Group D will contest a last-16 tie against the runners-up from a Group C containing Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors and Benfica in Miami on June 29, while the winners of Group C will face the runners-up from Group D in Charlotte a day earlier. FIFA ordered a one-off qualifying play-off tie between LAFC and Club America after Mexican side Club Leon, following a complaint registered by Costa Rican club Deportiva Alajuelense, were removed from the Club World Cup in March, having failed to meet competition rules on multi-club ownership. Club Leon and domestic rivals Pachuca are both owned by Grupo Pachuca. FIFA's decision to remove Club Leon was upheld at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) last month. Pachuca remain in the competition, placed in Group H alongside Real Madrid - who beat them 3-0 in last year's Intercontinental Cup final in Qatar - as well as Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal and Red Bull Salzburg of Austria. Advertisement Giroud, 38, played 114 games across all competitions for Chelsea between 2018-21 after joining from London rivals Arsenal, scoring 39 goals and winning the Champions League, Europa League and FA Cup before leaving for AC Milan. France's all-time leading scorer is currently one of LAFC's designated players after joining last year, scoring four times in 32 outings so far. LAFC's current squad also includes former Tottenham captain and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, ex-Leicester forward Cengiz Under and Celtic loanee Odin Thiago Holm.
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
LAFC book place in Chelsea's group at Club World Cup
Los Angeles FC booked a place in Chelsea's group at this summer's Fifa Club World Cup after coming from behind to beat Club America in a play-off. Gabon international Denis Bouanga drilled home the winner five minutes from the end of extra time after the match, being played at LAFC's BMO Stadium, had finished 1-1. Advertisement The one-off game was played after the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld Fifa's decision to expel Mexican side Club Leon from the new extended 32-team tournament, which will be played in the United States from 15 June to 13 July. Fifa determined in March that Club Leon did not meet tournament regulations on multi-club ownership. They had qualified for the Club World Cup after beating LAFC in the 2023 Concacaf Champions League final, while Club America were the highest-ranked team behind Club Leon in confederation ranking who did not qualify for the competition. Club America took the lead in the play-off through a 64th minute penalty by former LAFC player Brian Rodriguez after Mark Delgado had fouled Erick Sanchez. Advertisement Brazilian Igor Jesus headed home an 89th-minute equaliser, his first LAFC goal, to take the game into extra time. Former Chelsea and Arsenal forward Oliver Giroud provided the spark for LAFC after being introduced off the bench in the 74th minute. The 38-year-old, a World Cup winner with France, set up Bouanga's winner as the play-off looked to be heading for a penalty shootout. LAFC, who also include former Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris in their ranks, will face Chelsea in their opening Group D fixture in Atalanta on 16 June, before further matches against Brazilian side Flamengo and Esperance Sportive de Tunis.
BBC News
01-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
LAFC book place in Chelsea's group at Club World Cup
Los Angeles FC booked a place in Chelsea's group at this summer's Fifa Club World Cup after coming from behind to beat Club America in a play-off. Gabon international Denis Bouanga drilled home the winner five minutes from the end of extra time after the match, being played at LAFC's BMO Stadium, had finished 1-1. The one-off game was played after the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld Fifa's decision to expel Mexican side Club Leon from the new extended 32-team tournament, which will be played in the United States from 15 June to 13 July. Fifa determined in March that Club Leon did not meet tournament regulations on multi-club ownership. They had qualified for the Club World Cup after beating LAFC in the 2023 Concacaf Champions League final, while Club America were the highest-ranked team behind Club Leon in confederation ranking who did not qualify for the America took the lead in the play-off through a 64th minute penalty by former LAFC player Brian Rodriguez after Mark Delgado had fouled Erick Igor Jesus headed home an 89th-minute equaliser, his first LAFC goal, to take the game into extra time. Former Chelsea and Arsenal forward Oliver Giroud provided the spark for LAFC after being introduced off the bench in the 74th 38-year-old, a World Cup winner with France, set up Bouanga's winner as the play-off looked to be heading for a penalty who also include former Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris in their ranks, will face Chelsea in their opening Group D fixture in Atalanta on 16 June, before further matches against Brazilian side Flamengo and Esperance Sportive de Tunis.
Daily Mirror
01-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Chelsea learn new Club World Cup opponent after team banned from competition
Chelsea and Manchester City will be among the 32 teams who will participate in the FIFA Club World Cup later this month and their first opponents have now been confirmed Chelsea will start their FIFA Club World Cup campaign against Los Angeles FC after the MLS outfit won a play-off game to take the place of the banned Club Leon. It emerged last month that Leon, the Blues' first opponents, would no longer be participating in the tournament due to the fact that their owners are also in charge of Pachuca, another of the team's featuring in the competition. With the Court of Arbitration for Sport then dismissing an appeal from Club Leon, it was confirmed that LAFC would face Club America in a one-off game to decide who would be given a golden ticket to the tournament, which officially gets underway on June 14. And after beating Club America 2-1 following extra-time, LAFC will now join Chelsea, Flamengo and Es Tunis in Group D. The MLS outfit will automatically bank $9.55 million for qualifying but could go on to rake in more from the total $1bn prize pot which is on offer between all 32 competing teams. For LAFC, their golden ticket to the United States was made only possible after the CAS upheld Fifa's original decision to exclude them earlier this month. The CAS confirmed the ruling in a statement, which read: 'As a result of the CAS ruling, FIFA is responsible for designating the final qualified team to participate in the Club World Cup 2025. The CAS Panel has issued an Operative Decision dismissing the three appeals and ruled that Pachuca and Club Leon failed to meet the criteria in the Regulations for the Fifa World Cup Club 2025 concerning multiple club ownership. 'The Panel examined the evidence, including the Club Leon trust set up by the owners of the club, and concluded that this trust was insufficient to comply with the Regulations. Consequently, Club Leon remains excluded from the competition and Pachuca remains qualified. 'A separate appeal by [Alajuelense] against Club Leon, Pachuca and Fifa, filed on 3 February 2025, requested that Club Leon and Pachuca's participation in the Club World Cup was contrary to Fifa regulations and that one of the clubs, or both, should be removed. 'The appeal also requested that [Alajuelense] should be admitted to the competition in place of a removed team. This case was heard by CAS in person in Madrid on 23 April 2025 and was also rejected today.' Enzo Maresca and Chelsea will head to the United States in buoyant mood after securing their spot in next season's Champions League and winning the Europa Conference League final.
The National
27-05-2025
- Sport
- The National
How rejected court appeal could benefit forgotten Celtic man
The 22-year-old is currently on loan from Celtic at MLS outfit Los Angeles FC. Holm joined the club in January of this year and has made five appearances since. Read more: This weekend, his team take on Mexican outfit Club America in a play-off to determine who will play at the FIFA Club World Cup this summer. Club Leon of Liga MX originally qualified for the tournament, although its ownership structure violated FIFA rules that prohibit more than one team from having the same owners (Leon and fellow Liga MX team Pachuca are both owned by Grupo Pachuca). Earlier this month, it was then announced that the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) had rejected the appeals of that ruling, and that 'the team to be admitted as a replacement for Club Leon will be determined through a play-off match between LAFC (runners-up to Club Leon in the 2023 Concacaf Champions Cup) and Club America (top-ranked team in the FIFA Club World Cup confederation ranking at the conclusion of the 2024 edition of the Concacaf Champions Cup, the last season taken into account for clubs to qualify for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025)'. The match between Holm's LAFC and Club America takes place in the early hours of this Sunday. Should they emerge victorious, they will be in Group D, which is made up of Chelsea, Flamengo, and ES Tunis.
