Paris Saint-Germain Qualifies For Club World Cup Last16, Beat Seattle Sounders 2-0

Paris Saint-Germain secured their place in the last 16 of the FIFA Club World Cup with a confident 2–0 victory over the Seattle Sounders at Lumen Field on Monday.

Goals from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Achraf Hakimi in each half ensured the Champions League winners progressed from Group B alongside Brazilian side Botafogo.

Despite a shaky moment early on, when Gianluigi Donnarumma’s rare lapse in judgment almost gifted Seattle the lead—only for Jesus Ferreira to fire over—PSG quickly regained control.

Their dominance was rewarded 10 minutes before the break when Vitinha’s goal-bound effort took a fortunate deflection off Kvaratskhelia and nestled into the net.

Luis Enrique’s side doubled their advantage midway through the second half. Substitute Bradley Barcola made an immediate impact, setting up Hakimi to finish clinically just two minutes after entering the pitch.

PSG nearly added a third in the closing stages, but Warren Zaïre-Emery’s effort was dramatically cleared off the line by Nouhou Tolo.

Nevertheless, the Parisians saw out the win with minimal resistance, sealing a routine passage into the knockout stage.

Joining PSG in the next round is Botafogo, who managed to progress despite falling 1–0 to Atlético Madrid in Monday’s other Group B fixture.

Antoine Griezmann struck late in the 87th minute, but Atlético fell short of the three-goal margin required to advance, leaving them eliminated from the tournament.

Following their shock defeat to Botafogo in the previous match—marking the first time a South American side had beaten a European team in the Club World Cup since 2012—PSG responded with composure and control.

Possession proved vital to their success. Across their three group stage games, PSG maintained an average possession rate of 73% and completed over 1,500 more passes than their opponents, underlining their technical superiority.

For Atlético Madrid, it marks another frustrating early exit on the continental stage. Under Diego Simeone, the Spanish side have now failed to progress from the group stage of a major tournament on three occasions, having also fallen short in the UEFA Champions League in 2017–18 and 2022–23.