Finance
Saudi Arabia has been named the host of the FIFA Club World Cup 2023, scheduled to take place from December 12 to 22.
“In relation to the FIFA Club World Cup 2023, which is due to be played under the current format with seven clubs, the FIFA Council unanimously appointed the Saudi Arabian Football Federation as tournament hosts from 12 to 22 December 2023,” the FIFA said in a statement on Tuesday night.
The decision was made unanimously at a FIFA Council meeting just a few days after Real Madrid lifted the trophy in Morocco after a thrilling 5-3 victory over Al-Hilal, the first Saudi club to reach the tournament final.
Saudi Arabia will be the competition’s sixth host since its inception in 2000.
The Gulf nation was awarded the men’s Asian Cup 2027 hosting rights earlier this month and is also bidding to host the Women’s Asian Cup for the first time in 2026.
The FIFA Council also confirmed a change in tournament format beginning in June 2025, increasing the FIFA Club World Cup from 24 to 32 teams, with 12 teams from Europe and six from CONMEBOL participating, while CONCACAF, CAF, and the AFC will each have four, with one place for the OFC and another for the hosts.
Furthermore, the Council confirmed that the FIFA World Cup 2026 hosts, namely Canada, Mexico, and the United States, will qualify automatically as the tournament’s joint hosts, with their slots being deducted from Concacaf’s overall allocation of six.
Source:IANS
