The 2020 Club World Cup, postponed earlier this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is set to be held in Qatar from 1 to 11 February 2021.
The tournament is set to be held across three venues designed for the 2022 World Cup - Ahmad Bin Ali, Khalifa International and Education City stadiums. Ahmad Bin Ali stadium was the most recent venue inaugurated by Qatar on December 18, 2020.
The global club tournament will bring together teams from six continental confederations, as well as the host nation's league champions - Al Duhail.
The Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium will stage the opening match between Al Duhail and Auckland City of New Zealand on 1 February at 20:30 local time (18:30 CET/23:00 IST). The final is set to be played at the Education City Stadium on 11 February at 21:00 (23:30 IST) local time.
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European champions and German giants Bayern Munich, CONCACAF champions Tigres UANL (Mexico), CAF Champions League winners Al Ahly SC (Egypt) along with Ulsan Hyundai, who recently won the AFC Champions League held in Qatar, will join Al Duhail and Auckland City in the tournament.
The winner of South America's Copa Libertadores, which will be determined by the end of January 2021, will also participate in the tournament. The draw to finalise the detailed fixtures 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.