FIFA Club World Cup to kick off in Qatar on December 11
Exciting times ahead for football enthusiasts in Qatar as the Bureau of the FIFA Council has confirmed the dates of this year’s FIFA Club World Cup to be held in Qatar from December 11 to 21.
In its current format featuring seven teams, the FIFA Club World Cup will again consist of eight matches, with the draw that will determine the pairings for the second-round matches and the semi-finals taking place at the Home of FIFA in Zurich on 16 September.
FIFA had earlier stated that the tournament format would be revamped to feature 24 teams from 2021.
Qatar was awarded the FIFA Club World Cup in 2019 and 2020 as test events for the 2022 World Cup.
الاتحاد الدولي لكرة القدم (فيفا) يعلن عن مواعيد مباريات بطولة كأس العالم للأندية 2019، التي ستقام للمرة الأولى في قطر خلال الفترة من 11 إلى 21 من شهر ديسمبر المقبل. #قنا
— وكالة الأنباء القطرية (@QatarNewsAgency) July 26, 2019
For this year, three teams have already been confirmed with European champions Liverpool joining CONCACAF champions CF Monterrey and Oceania's Hienghene Sport.
The club representing hosts Qatar will depend on the outcome of the ongoing AFC Champions League.
If a team from Qatar are the AFC champions, they will qualify directly for the second round of the FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2019, with the AFC runners-up playing the opening match against Hienghene Sport, FIFA said.
If the AFC Champions League winners are not a club from Qatar, then the current holders of the Qatar Stars League title, Al Sadd SC, will play the opening match against Hienghene Sport on December 11.
Participating teams from Africa, Asia, and South America will be determined in the coming months.
The draw for second-round and semi-final matches will take place at FIFA's headquarters in Zurich on September 16.
Liverpool will enter the competition in the semi-final stage and will lock horns with the second-round winner on December 18.
The winners of the first-round match and the representatives of Asia, Africa and Monterrey, who will be drawn in no particular order as teams A, B, C, and D, will contest the second round.
The second-round winners will face Liverpool or a South American representative in the semi-finals, with the respective pairings having been previously defined by the draw.
The stadiums hosting the tournament, as well as the kick-off times, will be announced in due course and followed by the relevant ticketing information on FIFA.com/tickets.
--
Make sure to check out our social media to keep track of the latest content.
Instagram - @qatarliving
Twitter - @qatarliving
Facebook - Qatar Living
Cover Image Credit and Source: FIFA
