Conference League Final: Chelsea’s rebuild faces Betis for final test in Europe.

Published on 28/05/2025 by Thobelani Moyo | Modified on 28/05/2025 at 08:12 by Cydias Aujard

Chelsea FC will be looking to become the first team to win all five major UEFA competition titles as they face Spanish side Real Betis in a tantalizing final this Wednesday. On the other hand, Betis, the first Spanish side to reach the Conference League final, is on the hunt to win the first-ever European final in its 117-year history. This is not the competition either team wanted to be in this season, but they will lock horns for a major European trophy in what is promised to be a fascinating battle.

Real Betis vs Chelsea: Route To The Final

The two teams have had contrasting routes to the showpiece game. If you want to know more about this game, head on to our Betis vs Chelsea Preview.

Chelsea entered the event as favorites and won all six of their games to finish at the top in the league phase and have won five of their six knockout fixtures to meet Betis in the final, who, on the other hand, finished 15th in the league phase and came through a knockout phase play-off to reach the round of 16, winning one leg and drawing the other of each of their last three ties.

League phase position:

Chelsea: 1st (W6)
Real Betis: 15th (W3 D1 L2)

Round of 16

Vitoria SC 2-6 Real Betis (Agg)
Chelsea 3-1 Copenhagen (Agg)

Quarter-finals

Jagiellonia 1-3 Real Betis (Agg)
Chelsea 4-2 Legia Warsaw (Agg)

Semi-finals

Chelsea 5-1 Djugarden (Agg)
Fiorentina 3-4 Real Betis (Agg)

Real Betis vs Chelsea: Key Statistics, Links, and Trivia:

Since the start of the 2001/02 season, all 23 Champions League, Europa League, or Conference League finals featuring Spanish hopefuls have been won by a Spanish team. The last time a Spanish club lost a major UEFA final to a foreign club was when Bayern defeated Valencia in the 2001 Champions League final.
Enzo Maresca's side has scored 38 goals in the UEFA Conference League this season, a new record beating Fiorentina's total of 37 in 2022/23.
Pellegrini's team have scored the opening goal in 12 of their previous 13 Conference League matches.
Betis’ Bakambu has scored seven goals in the UEFA Conference League this season (only Jagiellonia's Afimico Pululu has scored more).
Isco has won all five of his previous European finals, including his two previous UEFA finals against English opponents. His Real Madrid side defeated Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League (2017-18, 2021-22).
Pellegrini coached Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca and his assistant Willy Caballero at Spanish side Málaga in the early 2010s before hiring the former as an assistant coach at West Ham in 2018. Maresca describes him as his "footballing father figure.”
At 71, Chilean coach Manuel Pellegrini has immense experience, but Real Betis' game against Chelsea will be his first major continental decider.
Pellegrini has the chance to become the first coach from Chile to win a major European trophy. He is the first Chilean coach to reach a final since Fernando Riera guided Benfica to the 1963 European Cup decider.
Aged 71 years 254 days on the day of the final, Pellegrini could also become the oldest coach to win a major UEFA men's club competition final. The current record is held by Raymond Goethals, who was 71 years 231 days old when he guided Marseille to victory in the 1993 Champions League.

What's At Stake For Both Teams?

For Chelsea, victory would:

Help restore some pride after a disappointing campaign in the 2024-25 English Premier League, where they were favorites to secure a top-three finish after a brilliant run in the opening stages.
Considering that they have already secured European football for next season via their fifth-place finish in the English Premier League, victory here will be important for their rebuild strategy.

For Real Betis, victory would:

Mark their first-ever UEFA Conference League trophy in club history. On paper, that would be considered a great achievement for Los Verdiblancos in nearly two decades.
See them attract star players in the transfer market.

What Has Been Said?

Manuel Pellegrini, Real Betis coach:

"My personal satisfaction goes without saying. It makes me much happier to see the joy of the Betis fans. We've felt a little bit of a responsibility to give the Betis fans something like this to celebrate. We are very happy to reach the final, and even more so to be playing against Chelsea; I sent Maresca a message a long time ago saying that I was very happy for him."

Enzo Maresca, Chelsea coach:

"I met my wife in Seville; she's from Seville. My first son was born in Seville. I played for Sevilla, but no doubt that I want to win the final. We can give the chance to this club and these fans to be the first club in Europe to win all the major UEFA club competitions. The Conference League is a starting point to build a winners' mentality and then to try to win more things and more titles."