By Gray Whitebloom
The best that every continent has to offer gathers in Morocco this February to fight for the crown of what is known as the 2022 Club World Cup (although it will take place in 2023).
Before Fifa and all their collective wisdom can further wreak havoc on the already congested calendar by expanding the competition to 32 teams each summer, the Club World Cup remains a mini-tournament between the best clubs from each region around the world.
Here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming battle for global sporting supremacy.
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Which teams will participate in the 2022 Club World Cup?
The seven lucky clubs vying for global recognition come from all four corners of the globe, are listed below:
Al Ahly (Egypt) Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia) Auckland City (New Zealand) Flamengo (Brazil) Real Madrid (Spain) Seattle Sounders (USA) Wydad Casablanca (Morocco)
How did each team qualify for the 2022 Club World Cup?
In theory, the winner of each continent’s major club competition gets a place in the tournament.
Chelsea they are the holders, but Real Madrid knocked them out in last season’s UEFA Champions League quarter-finals. The Blancos won the tournament and thus secured a place in the Club World Cup.
Flamengo overcame Athletico Paranaense in October’s Copa Libertadores final, the South American equivalent of the UEFA Champions League. Before guiding Morocco to the semi-finals of the World Cup, Walid Regragui led Wydad Casablanca to a third CAF Champions League title last summer.
As top-flight winners in the tournament’s host nation Morocco, Wydad would still secure a place in the competition. Egypt’s Al Ahly lost the continental final to Wydad and thus secured a place in the February football jamboree.
Seattle Sounders and Auckland City have won the top club competition in the CONCACAF and OFC regions respectively, but the final of the AFC Champions League is not expected until May 2023. As the defending champions from 2021, Al Hilal was selected as Asian representative.
What is the record of each team in the Club World Cup
real Madrid are the record champions with four world titles between 2014 and 2018. Brazilian team Flamengo won the forerunner of the Club World Cup (the Intercontinental Cup) in 1981, but never captured gold in the new tournament.
As OFC Champions League serial champions, Auckland city they have participated in nine editions of the Club World Cup. The New Zealand giants recorded their best finish in 2014, climbing to third place in the world rankings.
of Egypt Al Ahly they have been on the podium three times (2006, 2020, 2021). of Saudi Arabia Al Hilal they have never gone beyond fourth place and that of Morocco Wydad Casablanca they have lost their only previous appearance in the competition, a 1-0 defeat against Mexican side Pachuca in 2017.
MLS side Seattle sirens will participate in the competition for the first time.
When will the 2022 Club World Cup draw take place?
Before getting into the nitty-gritty of the upcoming tournament, FIFA will have to conduct a draw to decide the second round matches.
Al Hilal, Wydad Casablanca, Seattle Sounders and the first round match winner of Al Ahly and Auckland City will compete in two matches decided by a draw to be held on January 13, 2023 at the Mohammed VI Football Academy in Sale, Morocco.
The winners of these two ties will face either Flamengo or Real Madrid in the semi-finals before the third-place play-off and final.
When will the 2022 Club World Cup be held?
Don’t let the competition title fool you. Confusingly, the 2022 Club World Cup will be held between 1 February 2023 and 11 February 2023. The 2022 Men’s International World Cup has taken the regular December schedule which normally holds the club version of the competition.
The first round match between Al Ahly and Auckland City will take place on 1 February 2023.
The two matches of the second round will be played on February 4, 2023.
The first semi-final will be held on February 7, 2023 before the other finalist is decided on February 8, 2023.
The two losers from the semi-finals will meet in the third place play-off on 11 February 2023 before the final takes place on the same day.
Where is the 2022 Club World Cup?
Morocco will host the Club World Cup for the third time in ten years. The first time the North African nation hosted the Raja Casablanca tournament they made it all the way to the final before losing 2-0 to Bayern Monaco in 2013. Real Madrid were crowned champions in Marrakesh the following year.
Tangier’s 65,000-seat Stade Ibn Batouta will take up half of the host functions, along with Rabat’s Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, which can hold up to 60,000.
How to watch the 2022 Club World Cup
Channel 4 has won the exclusive terrestrial rights to broadcast the 2021 Club World Cup in the UK, but a broadcaster for this year’s tournament has yet to be announced.
In the United States, coverage of all matches will be live on FOX Sports and FOX Deportes.
This article was originally posted on 90min.com as When will the 2022 Club World Cup be held?.
