All you need to know about the FIFA Club World Cup 2019
The FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2019, presented by Alibaba Cloud, is the 16th edition of the FIFA-organized annual international club football tournament which is held between the winners of the six continental confederations, as well as the host nation's league champions.
This year's tournament will be hosted from December 11 to 21 at three venues in Qatar. Qatar was appointed as the host for the 2019 and 2020 tournaments on June 3, 2019, serving as test events ahead of Qatar's hosting of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
History of the tournament
The tournament was first contested in 2000 as the FIFA Club World Championship. It was not held between 2001 and 2004 due to a combination of factors, most importantly the collapse of FIFA's marketing partner International Sport and Leisure. Since 2005, the competition has been held every year and has been hosted by Brazil, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, and Morocco.
Participating clubs and star players:
Flamengo
The Brazilian club defeated defending champions River Plate in the final by a 2–1 score to win their second Copa Libertadores title on November 23. As champions, they qualified as the CONMEBOL representative at the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup in Qatar. This is the first time they will be featuring at the event.
Star Players: Gabriel Barbosa (2019 Copa Libertadores top scorer with nine goals who is on loan from Inter Milan), Bruno Henrique and Everton Ribeiro.
Liverpool
As winners of the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League, the English club will be representing Europe at the tournament. The coach Jurgen Klopp-side have been in fine form of recent, sitting comfortably atop the Premier League table with eight points separating them and second-placed Leicester City. Qatar 2019 is the second time the Merseyside will be featuring at the tournament with their first being the 2005 edition held in Japan.
Star Players: Mohammed Salah, Sadio Mane and goalkeeper Alisson.
Espérance de Tunis
The Tunisian club is participating in the competition for the third time after previously making the cut in 2011 and 2018. The Tunis-side will be representing Africa as winners of the 2018-19 CAF Champions League.
Star Players: Taha Yassine Khenissi, Billel Bensaha and Tayeb Meziani.
Al-Hilal
The Saudi Arabia club are the 2019 AFC Champions League winners and they will be representing Asia at the tournament for the first time in their history.
Star Players: Yasser Al Qahtani, Bafétimbi Gomis and Andre Carrillo.
CF Monterrey
The Mexican football club from Monterrey, Nuevo León are the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League winners. They are a veteran of the Club World Cup having previously played at the 2011, 2012 and 2013 editions, where they finished fifth after their 5-1 defeat of Egypt's Al Ahly.
Star Players: Jonathan González, Nicolás Sánchez, and Jesús Gallardo.
Hienghène Sport
The New Caledonian football team from Hienghène are representing Oceania in Qatar as winners of the 2019 OFC Champions League. They became continental champions for the first time and subsequently becoming the first club from New Caledonia (and the second Oceanian club not from Australia or New Zealand) to compete in the FIFA Club World Cup.
Star Players: Bertrand Kaï, Rocky Nyikeine, and Geordy Gony.
Al Sadd
The Qatari club are the winners of the 2018–19 Qatar Stars League and they are representing the hosts at the tournament. Featuring for the second time since their maiden appearance in 2011 in Japan, the Al Zaeem, coached by the revered Xavi Hernandez, will be hoping to make a huge impression with their performance before the home fans.
Star players: Akram Afif (the 2019 Asian Footballer of the Year), Abdelkarim Hassan (2018 Asian Footballer of the Year), and Jung Woo-young.
Venues:
Jassim bin Hamad Stadium
The 15,000-capacity stadium is the home ground of Al Sadd Club. Originally built in 1974, the multi-purpose stadium was rebuilt in 2004 for the Gulf Cup. The stadium was named after the former president of the club Jassim bin Hamad bin Jaber Al-Thani.
Matches to be played there:
Playoff match: Al Sadd vs Hienghène Sport (December 11.Time: 8:30 pm)
Quarter-finals
Al Hilal vs Espérance de Tunis (December 14. Time: 5:00 pm)
CF Monterrey vs winner of the playoff match (December 14. Time: 8:30 pm)
Khalifa International Stadium
Also known as National Stadium, the multi-purpose stadium is part of the Doha Sports City complex, which also includes Aspire Academy, Hamad Aquatic Centre, and the Aspire Tower. The stadium is also the first completed venue that will host a part of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Matches to be played here:
5th-place match: Runners-up of match 2 vs Runners-up of match 3 (December 17.Time: 5:30 pm)
Semi-final: Flamengo vs Winners of match 3 (December 17.Time: 8:30 pm)
Semi-final match: Liverpool vs Winners of match 2 (December 18. Time:8:30 pm)
Third-place match (December 21. Time: 5:30 pm)
Final match (December 22. Time: 8:30 pm)
Fan Zone
The zone offers fans from across the globe the opportunity of watching matches on big screens in an electric atmosphere. Fans will get to enjoy live music from amazing artists and DJs, international food and beverages, and football-themed activities.
Where?
Doha Sports Park (next to Doha Golf Club). Parking is available but fans are encouraged to use the Doha Metro (free match-day travel with printed match tickets).
When?
Open every day from Monday, December 9 to Saturday, December 21
Time: 2:00pm PM to 12:00AM.
Entry: FREE (Under 18s must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.)
Fan Entertainment Areas
On each match day, families will be able to enjoy several activities at fan entertainment areas to be set up at both tournament venues: Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium and Khalifa International Stadium.
The fan areas will open three hours before kick-off of every game and will feature food and beverage stalls, entertainment and a host of family-friendly activities.
Fan Entertainment Area opening times:
Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium
Wednesday 11 December, 5:30 pm
Saturday 14 December, 2:00 pm
Khalifa International Stadium
Tuesday 17 December, 2:30 pm
Wednesday 18 December, 5:30 pm
Saturday 21 December, 2:30 pm
Ticketing information
Tickets for the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup are available at FIFA’s ticketing portal: FIFA.com/tickets. The ticket categories are as below:
Getting to the tournament venues
Both stadiums are accessible via the Doha Metro, making it easy for fans to get to and from the venues.
Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium is served by Al Sudan station (Gold Line), while Khalifa International Stadium is served by Sport City station (Gold Line).
Match ticket holders will benefit from free travel on Doha Metro on match days.
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