The Seattle Sounders' historic run in the FIFA Club World Cup came to an end on Monday, June 23, 2025, after a hard-fought 2-0 loss to French giants Paris Saint-Germain in a decisive group stage match at Lumen Field. A deflected goal from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in the first half and a clinical finish from Achraf Hakimi in the second sealed the victory for the star-studded Parisian side, eliminating the Sounders from the tournament.
Playing in front of a passionate home crowd, the Sounders started brightly, pressing high and creating a few early opportunities. However, the quality of the reigning French champions soon began to show. PSG controlled possession for large spells of the game, testing the Sounders' defense on multiple occasions.
The breakthrough for PSG came in the 35th minute in somewhat fortuitous circumstances. A shot from outside the box by Vitinha took a significant deflection off his teammate Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, wrong-footing Sounders' goalkeeper Stefan Frei and nestling into the back of the net.
Despite the setback, the Sounders remained resolute and went into halftime trailing by a single goal. The second half saw the MLS side continue to battle, but PSG's quality ultimately proved to be the difference. In the 66th minute, a swift counter-attack saw Achraf Hakimi latch onto a through ball and calmly slot it past Frei to double PSG's advantage.
The Sounders fought for a consolation goal in the remaining minutes but were unable to breach the solid PSG defense. The defeat means Seattle finishes the group stage without a point and will not advance to the knockout rounds of the tournament. Paris Saint-Germain, with the win, secured their spot in the next phase of the competition.
While the result marks the end of their Club World Cup journey, the Seattle Sounders' participation in the prestigious tournament is a landmark achievement for the club and for Major League Soccer, showcasing the league's growing competitiveness on the global stage.
