Chelsea will travel to MetLife Stadium to face Paris Saint-Germain in the 2025 Club World Cup final, and Reece James says his absence from the starting line-up for the semi-final was not due to injury, but rather a decision not to take the risk due to discomfort.

Chelsea defeated Fluminense 2-0 in the semi-finals after new signing Joao Pedro scored in the first and second half.

It is worth mentioning that due to injuries in the 2024/25 season, Reece James only played 19 games for Chelsea in the Premier League and contributed one goal and one assist.

When asked why he was temporarily withdrawn from the starting lineup in the semi-final, Chelsea captain Reece James said: "I want to make it clear that I am not injured, so we can not talk about this topic."

"Given my past injury history, I didn't feel good during the warm-up. I could have played, but it was like a warning shot."

Reece James continued, "If I insist on playing and get injured again, people will ask me why I didn't listen to my body's signals, so I decided not to take unnecessary risks and make sure I can play later. I believe in my teammates and I'm grateful that we won."

In addition, Chelsea midfielder Enzo said that it was difficult for him to adapt to training or games in hot weather.

"Honestly, the heat is so bad here that I had to lie down on the ground the first few days because I was really dizzy," said Enzo.

"It's really dangerous to play in such high temperatures, not only for the players but also for the fans who come to watch the game. The tempo of the game is different in such conditions, everything is slow."

Enzo also added, "I hope that in the future we can change the schedule and make the race still an attractive event."