“Hosting the Club World Cup will confirm our readiness for Qatar 2022”
The President of the Qatar FA looks forward to building on the success of the first edition of the Club World Cup held last year and won by Liverpool.
With the announcement by FIFA that the Club World Cup 2020 will be held in Qatar, the first host of the World Cup in the Middle East now faces a new challenge, having successfully organised the first edition of the Club World Cup in the country, won by Liverpool.
With falling numbers of covid-19 patients in Qatar in recent months, it is expected that fans will have the chance to attend the competition, which will run from 1 to 11 February 2021. It had been planned to hold the tournament in December, however this was not possible due to the pandemic.
Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Than, President of the Qatar FA, said: “We are honoured to host this tournament for the second time; we’ll build on the success we achieved in organising last year’s edition of the Club World Cup, which was attended by thousands of fans from all over the world. What’s more, hosting this event will confirm our readiness to host the World Cup 2022. Good luck to all the clubs."
The President added: “this tournament is a great opportunity for Al Duhail SC, representing Qatar, to face teams from around the world, such as Bayern Munich, the champions of Europe.”
Al Thawadi: it's a perfect opportunity to gain further experience
For his part, Hassan Al Thawadi, Secretary-General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC), responsible for managing the projects of Qatar 2022, said: "There is no doubt that organising the Club World Cup for the second time offers a perfect opportunity to gain further experience, above all with two years remaining before Qatar 2022. We will continue to work closely with our partners with the aim of providing an extraordinary experience for the fans, the players and the coaches, just as we will for Qatar 2022, the first World Cup to be held in the Middle East."
Nasser Al Khater, Executive President of the Local Organising Committee for the FIFA Club World Cup 2020 in Qatar, said: "We are aiming to organise the Club World Cup with as many fans as possible, and continue to build on the success we achieved in last year's edition organised in Qatar, to offer an even more distinctive version of the tournament, while keeping a close eye on the latest developments concerning the pandemic."
Two teams have already qualified for the event: Al Duhail, the host's representative and European Champions, Bayern Munich.