Game Day Essentials
• Round of 16: SL Benfica (#16) vs Chelsea FC (#17)
• Date and Time: Saturday, June 28 at 4:00 pm ET
• Venue: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC
• Forecast: Overcast but a stifling 89F/31C that "feels like" 96F, with a chance of a thunderstorm
• How to Watch: DAZN
• Referee: Slavko Vinčić (SVN)
An entirely European Round of 16 Club World Cup clash is going down in Charlotte, North Carolina as Group C winners SL Benfica of Portugal face Group D's second-place team, Chelsea FC of England.
The winner of this Battle of Europe will head to Philadelphia to face whoever wins the Battle of Brazil between SE Palmeiras and Botafogo in the Quarterfinals on the Fourth of July, though this game in Charlotte will be no easy task for either team.
Both Benfica and Chelsea enter coming off good results to close out the group stage and both might like their chances to advance despite the strength of their opposition. Also to contend with: The summer heat of a late-afternoon kickoff in Charlotte in late June, and the state of the temporary grass installed at the usually turf-surfaced Bank of America Stadium.
Here are 5 additional things to know about these big boys from Europe before they play for a place in the Club World Cup Quarterfinals.
Michael Battista
1. One beat Bayern, one lost to Flamengo
Benfica went unbeaten in their group games with two wins and a draw and closed out on a particularly high note by scoring a 13th-minute goal against FC Bayern Munich and then holding on for dear life to beat the German giants 1-0 at this very same Bank of America Stadium on Tuesday, June 24.
It was a gritty result against a favored team, and one Benfica might look to replicate against Chelsea. On the other side, Enzo Maresca's Blues steadied themselves in their final group game by comfortably winning 3-0 against the well-supported Tunisian club Espérance Sportive de Tunis.
That was a necessary win for Chelsea after they experienced a nightmare six-minute sequence in the second half to lose 3-1 to Flamengo, a sequence that included two goals conceded and a straight red card shown to forward Nicolas Jackson just four minutes into his appearance as a substitute – a foul so bad it earned him a two-match ban.
Benfica's other results weren't so convincing, starting with a 2-2 draw against Boca Juniors and continuing through the 6-0 win against New Zealand's Auckland City, a team made up of part-time amateur players. To squeak past Bayern in a game that had low stakes for the Germans, who'd already advanced and knew they'd face either Chelsea or Flamengo in the next round, isn't the most convincing signature win of the tournament, but it was a win all the same and the second in a row for Bruno Lage's team – might they, not Chelsea, have more momentum on their side?
2. Ageless Argentines still big for Benfica
Benfica has experience on its side in the form of Ángel Di Maria and Nicolás Otamendi, both age 37 and both still playing big roles at this Club World Cup. This is the last hurrah for Di Maria, who is about to leave the team after the tournament to return to his boyhood club, Rosario Central, in his native Argentina.
He's going out on a strong note, as Di Maria is joint-top scorer of the Club World Cup with three goals – all penalty kicks, interestingly. He's also attempted six shots, third-most among CWC players, and he leads all players in the tourney with 33 completed crosses. Otamendi scored in Benfica's 2-2 with Boca Juniors and played every single minute of the three group games in defense, helping The Eagles not concede any more goals beyond the two in their first match.
Oliver Strand
3. Enzo Fernández against his ex-club
Chelsea has an Argentine star of their own making a difference at this Club World Cup and that's midfielder Enzo Fernández, a World Cup winner with Argentina in 2022. Fernández scored to ice Chelsea's 2-0 win over LAFC, then picked up two assists in their 3-0 win over ES Tunis, building on a breakout 2024-2025 season in which he collected six goals and seven assists to help Chelsea finish 4th place in the English Premier League and qualify for next season's UEFA Champions League.
Fernández joined Chelsea from the team he'll now try to beat in the Club World Cup Round of 16, with Benfica receiving a whopping €121 million transfer fee for Fernández, who they reportedly paid only €10 million to sign from River Plate in Argentina. Benfica probably appreciates the way that business turned out, but they might not be excited to reunite with Fernández while he's enjoying this good of a run of form.
4. Chelsea's shiny new toy: Liam Delap
Liam Delap finalized his £30 million transfer from relegated Ipswich Town FC to Chelsea just in time for the Club World Cup and the striker made a quick start to life with his new team. Delap debuted as a substitute in the opening win over LAFC and picked up an assist on Enzo Fernández's goal, then Fernández returned the favor and assisted on Delap's first-ever Chelsea goal in the win over ES Tunis to close the group stage.
With Nicolas Jackson still suspended following his red card, Delap seems likely to get another chance from manager Enzo Maresca early in his Chelsea days. Many reports have made light of the fact that Chelsea's prize money earned for being in the Club World Cup and advancing as far as they have already covered the cost of bringing in Delap, so it's all profit from here if the expensive new Chelsea striker makes the difference vs Benfica.
5. The X-Factor: Home-field advantage?
Benfica just beat Bayern Munich at Bank of America Stadium in similarly hot mid-afternoon conditions. That match started at 3:00 pm, with a temperature that peaked at 97F and a "feels like" temperature that hit 105.
It's not expected to be that oppressively hot for Benfica-Chelsea, but does the Portuguese side benefit from the experience of suffering through their Bayern win earlier in the week? Or will back-to-back afternoons sizzling in the North Carolina sun not end well for them?
Will either team benefit from a big crowd of friendly supporters? That midweek midafternoon game in Charlotte only drew an announced crowd of 33,287, while Bank of America Stadium holds 74,867 at maximum capacity. A quick glance at Ticketmaster shows plenty of tickets are still available for the general public to buy in the lower and upper bowl at BofA Stadium for this Benfica-Chelsea match. The atmosphere might not be prime, and the conditions could be challenging, so whichever team can best ride the waves of heat and a tepid crowd could gain the ultimate edge and make it to the final eight of the tournament.
