Tosin Adarabioyo, the towering defender eligible to play for Nigeria, was among the scorers as Chelsea’s second-string side swept past Esperance de Tunis 3-0 to book a place in the Round of 16 at the FIFA Club World Cup on Tuesday.

Adarabioyo, born in England to Nigerian parents, gave Chelsea the breakthrough in first-half stoppage time, rising above the Esperance defence to head home a well-placed corner into the bottom left corner. The goal marked a milestone moment for the former Fulham man, who joined Chelsea this summer and remains a potential option for the Super Eagles if he chooses to switch allegiance from England, where he has featured at youth level.

Chelsea doubled their lead just moments later through Liam Delap, who pounced on a defensive lapse to calmly slot in the second goal. Tyrique George sealed the result deep into added time with a well-struck effort from the edge of the box.

The win saw Chelsea finish second in Group D behind Flamengo, who were held 1-1 by Los Angeles FC. Flamengo topped the group with seven points, just one ahead of Chelsea. Esperance ended third with three points while LAFC brought up the rear with a single point.

Chelsea will now face Group C winners Benfica on Saturday at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. Meanwhile, Flamengo are set for a blockbuster clash with Bayern Munich—Group C runners-up—on Sunday in Miami.

Despite the high stakes, Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca opted to rest key players, including Cole Palmer and goalkeeper Robert Sanchez. Also absent was striker Nicolas Jackson, who remains suspended following his red card in the 3-1 loss to Flamengo.

Delap, a £30 million signing from Ipswich Town, had an active game and nearly opened the scoring in the 20th minute, only to see his header cleared off the line. He missed another chance before making amends with his well-taken goal.

The result underlines Chelsea’s depth and offers a glimpse of what Adarabioyo—still very much on Nigeria’s radar—could bring to the national team if he commits to the green and white.

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Morocco has a growing track record of successfully hosting major football tournaments. It is positioning itself as a strong candidate to stage the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup.

The global spotlight is currently on the United States. It is set to host the inaugural edition of the Club World Cup in its expanded format.

Attention is already shifting toward the next cycle. Several nations, including Morocco, have reportedly signaled their interest in staging the 2029 tournament.

According to British journalist Ben Jacobs, “the United States, Spain, Brazil, and Morocco have already expressed interest in hosting the 2029 edition.

However, no decision is expected from FIFA in the immediate future.”

Spain has also made its ambitions clear. Local media reports that Rafael Louzán, President of the Spanish Football Federation, recently met with FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

He conveyed Spain’s desire to host a major FIFA competition. This would be ahead of the 2030 FIFA World Cup. The country will co-host the event alongside Portugal and Morocco.

For its part, Morocco continues to bolster its international reputation as a dependable host for top-tier football events.

The North African nation is already set to host the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). It will also host the 2024 Women’s AFCON.

Additionally, the country is hosting the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup and the Futsal AFCON. This string of high-profile tournaments reinforces Morocco’s status as a rising power in football administration and event management.

Speculation is growing around a potential joint bid between Spain and Morocco for the 2029 Club World Cup.

Such a partnership would offer both countries a valuable opportunity to test their infrastructure, fine-tune operational logistics, and strengthen cross-border cooperation just a year ahead of the 2030 World Cup.

The Club World Cup could act as a dress rehearsal. It may help identify and resolve potential challenges before football’s biggest global event.

FIFA has not yet announced a timeline for selecting the 2029 host. Morocco’s steady accumulation of experience could make it a leading contender. Its growing international profile could also be influential when the decision is made.

Al Ahly and Porto shared a 4-4 thriller in their final game at the Club World Cup on Monday, but both will head home after Inter Miami and Palmeiras drew to progress to the round of 16 from Group A.

Palestine striker Wessam Abou Ali scored a hat-trick, and Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane also found the net for the Egyptian champions, but Porto pegged them back every time they went ahead.

Teenagers Rodrigo Mora and William Gomes, substitute Samu Aghehowa and Pepe all scored for the Portuguese club as both teams all but abandoned defending in search of goals that might keep them alive in the tournament.

In the end, though, a draw was not enough for either side and the 2-2 stalemate between Inter and Palmeiras in Miami was enough to render all of the many other permutations null and void.

“I’m very sad, very, very sad,” said Abou Ali. “I feel like we should have scored maybe five, six goals in the end, the opportunity was there to at least win the game and score some goals.”

Both teams came into the match played in suffocating heat at Metlife Stadium without a goal from open play in the tournament but they made up for it in a sometimes frenetic contest.

Al Ahly took the early initiative and got their reward when Abou Ali gave them the lead in the 15th minute with a cool finish into the far corner of the net

Lively 18-year-old Mora equalised eight minutes later after skipping through the Al Ahly defence and past goalkeeper Mohamed El-Shenawy before clipping the ball into the net.

Egypt midfielder Zizo was brought down in the box by Fabio Vieira running onto an Abou Ali cutback in stoppage time at the end of the first, and the Palestinian sent Claudio Ramos the wrong way from the spot to put Al Ahly 2-1 up at the break.

Three goals in three minutes soon after the break had the scores back level at 3-3 in the 53rd minute, Gomes starting it all off by curling a beautiful shot into the top right-hand corner of the net.

Abou Ali then completed his hat-trick with a powerful header from a corner but Aghehowa responded in kind almost immediately down the other end.

FC Porto’s Samu Aghehowa reacts after the match REUTERS/Susana Vera

Ben Romdhane put Al Ahly back in front with a lovely strike from the edge of the box in the 64th minute and the Egyptian side poured forward looking to boost their goal difference in case the result in Miami went their way.

Al Ahly missed a host of gilt-edged chances, however, and Pepe ensured the honours would be shared when he drilled a shot from the edge of the box past Al Ahly captain El-Shenawy a minute from time.

“I think the game in the second half was not a normal football game anymore,” said Al Ahly coach Jose Riveiro.

“A good show for the fans, I guess, a lot of goals. Not the result, obviously, that we were looking for, because we wanted to go through.”

-Reuters

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