Saudi Pro League champions Al Ittihad will take on OFC Champions League winners Auckland City in the opening match of FIFA Club World Cup 2023. Manchester City will feature in the knockout stage. Here is all you need to know about the football tournament
Seven clubs from the six football-playing continents will fight it out for the top prize in the FIFA Club World Cup 2023, starting Tuesday, December 12, 2023. The 11-day tournament will be held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and features the winners of each confederation’s elite club competition, plus one from the host country. (Football News)
Format
Al Ittihad, who are the Saudi Pro League champions, are the home team and boast of 2022 Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema in their line-up. The team will take on Oceania's OFC Champions League title holders Auckland City (of New Zealand) in the first round.
As per the FIFA Club World Cup format, the winner of the Al Ittihad vs Auckland City game will meet African champions Al Ahly of Egypt in the second round. North and Central American champions Club Leon from Mexico and AFC Champions League winners Urawa Red Diamonds of Japan will lock horns in the other second-round match.
The two teams that win their second-round games will advance to the semi-finals that feature UEFA Champions League winners Manchester City and South American representative Fluminense FC of Brazil. The summit clash will be played at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium on December 22.
ALSO READ: Will De Bruyne Play FIFA Club World Cup?
Speaking of track record, Real Madrid are the most successful team at the FIFA Club World Cup, having won five titles, including the previous one in 2022. But they lost to Manchester City in the semi-finals of the 2022-23 UEFA Champions League and did not qualify this year.
Schedule (all timings in IST)
First round: December 12, Tuesday - Al Ittihad vs Auckland City at 11:30pm
Second round: December 15, Friday - Club Leon vs Urawa Red Diamonds at 8pm and Al Ahly vs Winner of 1st round at 11:30pm
Semi-final 1: December 18, Monday - Fluminense vs TBD at 11:30pm
Semi-final 2: December 19, Tuesday - Manchester City vs TBD at 11:30pm
Third-place match: December 22, Friday - Losers of semi-finals at 8pm
Final: December 22, Friday - Winners of two semi-finals at 11:30pm
Live Streaming And TV Telecast
Live streaming of all FIFA Club World Cup 2023 matches will be available on the FIFA+ website. There will be no live telecast of the football matches on any TV channel in India.