DOHA (Qatar): Qatar will host the FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2020 from 1 to 11 February 2021, it was announced on Wednesday.
The event was postponed earlier this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Six continental confederations, as well as the host nation’s league champions, will compete in the tournament, which will be held across three FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 stadiums – Ahmad Bin Ali, Khalifa International and Education City.
The Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, inaugurated just last week on 18 December, will stage the opening match between Qatari champions Al Duhail and Auckland City of New Zealand on 1 February at 20:30 local time (18:30 CET), and the final will be played at Education City Stadium on 11 February at 21:00 local time.
Joining the two teams will be European champions and German side FC Bayern Munich, CONCACAF champions Tigres UANL from Mexico, Al Ahly SC, Egyptian side and winners of the CAF Champions League along with Ulsan Hyundai.
The winner of the CONMEBOL Libertadores will determine the South American representative, rounding off this edition’s participants.
The South American title winner will be determined by the end of January 2021. The draw to finalise the detailed pairings in the tournament will take place in Zurich on 19 January.
“Hosting the second edition of the FIFA Club World Cup in a row will allow us to build on our operational experience and apply learnings both from 2019, as well as the tournaments attended by fans in Qatar throughout 2020. It will help ensure we deliver an amazing experience for every fan when the Middle East and Arab world hosts its first FIFA World Cup in just under two years’ time,” said Nasser Al Khater, Chief Executive Officer, FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 LLC.
“Over the past few months, during the global pandemic, we have worked diligently to ensure the safety, health and wellbeing of players and fans as we hosted several important local and international footballing events, and we look forward to welcoming the world’s best clubs in the New Year for what will be yet another important milestone on the road to Qatar 2022,” Al Khater added.
