CLUB WORLD CUP
FIFA completes 2022 Club World Cup line-up
The international football federation confirmed the presence of Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal as Asia’s representative. The draw will be on 13 January. No venues have been confirmed yet.
The 2022 Club World Cup is taking shape. The dates are now known - this year’s tournament will take place from Wednesday 1 February to Saturday 11 February with Morocco as hosts. Today, FIFA confirmed the list of participants, which has been completed with the inclusion of Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal as the Asian representative. As of the moment, no venues have been confirmed, but FIFA have announced the schedule and date of the draw, which will take place on Friday 13 January at the Mohammed VI Football Academy in Sale, Rabat.
Of the seven clubs taking part in the event, five had already been confirmed:
- Real Madrid (Spain)
- Flamengo (Brazil)
- Auckland City (New Zealand)
- Seattle Sounders (United States)
- Wydad Casablanca (Morocco)
They are joined by
- Al-Ahly (Egypt)
- Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)
FIFA confirmed the presence of Egypt’s Al-Ahly to fill the one remaining vacancy, given that the CAF Champions League winners, Wydad Casablanca represent the host country (the rules prevent two teams from the same country playing the tournament).
Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal will repeat as Asia’s representative due to their status as champions of the 2021 CAF Champions League. The 2022 edition of the competition is still in progress (Al Hilal are in the round of 16) and will not be resolved until May.
Quarter final and semi-final draw to be held on 13 January
The draw will take place on Friday 13 January when the quarter finals and semi-finals will be determined. Real Madrid and Flamengo both enter the competition directly at the semi-final stage but will not face each other in that round. For their part, Al Ahly and Auckland City will face each other on Wednesday 1 February in the preliminary round for a place in the quarter finals.
The two quarter final matches will be played on Saturday 4 February while the semi finals will be played on separate days - Tuesday 7 February and Wednesday 8 February. The final and the third and fourth place will be played on Saturday 11 February.
23-player rosters
Participating clubs will be able to register a total of 23 players for the tournament, three of which are reserved for goalkeepers. In Real Madrid’s case, if all the players in the squad are fit and available, Ancelotti will to discard one player. Madrid will be seeking their eighth world title - their fifth since the competition was rebranded.