Chelsea’s post-World Cup record: Six trophies across seven decades

Photo: Katie Chan / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Chelsea have historically performed strongly in the seasons immediately following a FIFA World Cup, a pattern that stretches back to 1954. Eleven Chelsea players competed at the 2026 World Cup, which concluded on Sunday when Spain beat Argentina 1-0 in the final in New Jersey.

The club's first top-flight title arrived in 1954/55, the season after West Germany won the 1954 World Cup. Chelsea edged Wolverhampton Wanderers in a tight race, with just six points separating the top seven sides at the season's end.

In 1962, with Chelsea in the second division, manager Tommy Docherty built a youthful squad led by teenage captain Terry Venables and featuring Ron Harris and Peter Bonetti. The side won promotion back to the top flight at the first attempt.

Goalkeeper Bonetti was part of the England squad for the 1966 World Cup and returned to help Chelsea reach the FA Cup final in 1966/67 — the first final contested between two London clubs. The Blues lost to Tottenham Hotspur but went on to win the trophy in 1970, defeating Leeds United.

Bonetti and striker Peter Osgood then featured in England's 1970 World Cup squad. On their return, both played key roles as Chelsea won the 1970/71 Cup Winners' Cup, defeating Real Madrid in the final — the club's first European trophy.

After France won the 1998 World Cup, defenders Marcel Desailly and Frank Leboeuf returned to Stamford Bridge for a season under Gianluca Vialli that produced Chelsea's highest Premier League finish at that time and a debut UEFA Champions League campaign.

Following the 2006 World Cup in Germany, Chelsea completed a domestic cup double, beating Arsenal 2-1 in the League Cup final and Manchester United 1-0 in the FA Cup final. Didier Drogba, who had represented Ivory Coast at their World Cup debut that summer, scored all three Chelsea goals across both finals.

The 2014 World Cup, held in Brazil, ended in a semi-final exit for the host nation. Chelsea's Brazilian players — David Luiz, Oscar, Ramires, and Willian — returned to win the Premier League title in 2014/15.

N'Golo Kante and Olivier Giroud were part of France's 2018 World Cup-winning squad. The following season, both contributed significantly to Chelsea's UEFA Europa League triumph, with Giroud and Eden Hazard combining for three of the four goals in the final win over Arsenal.

Chelsea now have 11 players returning from the 2026 World Cup ahead of the 2026/27 season.