FIFA Club World Cup 2023: Manchester City crowned champions in Jeddah
The FIFA Club World Cup is an international club football competition organized by FIFA, the sport's governing body. It was held annually until 2023; from 2025 it became a quadrennial tournament (the 2025 edition in the United States was won by Chelsea, and the next is scheduled for 2029). The competition features the champions of the six continental confederations, as well as the host nation's league champions.
The FIFA Club World Cup is played in a single-elimination format, with the teams seeded based on their confederation ranking. The top two seeded teams receive a pass to the semifinals, while the other teams play in a play-off round. The winners of the semifinals then play in the final to determine the champion.
How Do Teams Qualify for the FIFA Club World Cup?
Teams qualify for the FIFA Club World Cup through their respective continental confederations:
UEFA Champions League winner: Europe
CONCACAF Champions League winner: North and Central America
CONMEBOL Libertadores winner: South America
CAF Champions League winner: Africa
AFC Champions League winner: Asia
OFC Champions League winner: Oceania
In addition to the champions of the six continental confederations, the host nation's league champions also qualify for the FIFA Club World Cup.
If the host nation's league champions have already qualified for the competition through their continental confederation, then the next best-placed team in the host nation's league will qualify instead.
Which Teams Took Part in the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup?
Al Ahly SC (Egypt)
Al Ahly, the most successful club in African football, competed in the FIFA Club World Cup for the 10th time. They have the second-most appearances in the tournament, behind Auckland City. Their best finish is third place, which they have achieved three times. Al Ahly made their tournament debut in 2005 but were eliminated in the quarterfinals by Al-Ittihad.
Manchester City (England)
Manchester City, led by Spanish manager Pep Guardiola and featuring world-class players such as Erling Haaland, Phil Foden, and captain Kevin De Bruyne, won their first FIFA Club World Cup, beating Fluminense 4-0 in the final, after defeating Inter Milan 1-0 in the UEFA Champions League final.
Club León (Mexico)
Club León, a successful Mexican football club from León, Guanajuato, has won the league title seven times and the CONCACAF Champions League three times. They qualified for the FIFA Club World Cup 2023 by defeating Seattle Sounders FC on penalties in the final of the CONCACAF Champions League 2022-23. This was their first appearance in the FIFA Club World Cup, and they were the third Mexican team to compete, following Club América and Tigres UANL.
Urawa Reds (Japan)
Urawa Reds, a successful Japanese football club from Saitama, have won the league title five times and the AFC Champions League twice. They qualified for the FIFA Club World Cup 2023 by defeating Al Hilal in the final of the AFC Champions League 2022. This was their third appearance in the FIFA Club World Cup, following their previous appearances in 2007 and 2017.
Auckland City FC (New Zealand)
Auckland City FC, the most successful club in Oceanian football, qualified for the FIFA Club World Cup 2023 by winning the OFC Champions League 2022-23. This was their 11th appearance in the tournament, and they looked to build on their record of three semi-final appearances.
Al Ittihad (Saudi Arabia)
Al Ittihad, a successful Saudi Arabian football club from Jeddah, has won the league title 17 times and the AFC Champions League three times. They qualified for the FIFA Club World Cup 2023 as the host nation's league champions, making their fourth appearance in the competition. Led by N'Golo Kanté and Karim Benzema, they aimed big in 2023. Their best finish to date is third place, which they achieved in 2005.
Copa Libertadores champions (South America)
Fluminense of Brazil were crowned Copa Libertadores champions in 2023, winning the final on November 4th.
Matches Times and Dates
Here are all the match dates and match times as officially announced
(all kick-offs are listed in the local time of the hosting country)
First round
On 12 December
Match 1: Al Ittihad FC vs. Auckland City FC
Time: 08:00 PM
Location: King Abdullah Sports City Stadium
Second round
On 15 December
Match 2: Al Ahly FC vs. winner of Match 1
Time: 08:00 PM
Location: King Abdullah Sports City Stadium
Match 3: Club León vs. Urawa Reds
Time: 04:30 PM
Location: Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium
Semi-finals
On 18 December
Match 4: Copa Libertadores champions vs. winner of Match 2
Time: 08:00 PM
Location: King Abdullah Sports City Stadium
On 19 December
Match 5: Winner of Match 3 vs. Manchester City
Time: 08:00 PM
Location: King Abdullah Sports City Stadium
Play-off for third place and final
On 22 December
Match 6: Play-off for third place - Loser of Match 4 vs. Loser of Match 5
Time: 04:30 PM
Location: Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium
Match 7: Final - winner of Match 4 vs. winner of Match 5
Time: 08:00 PM
Location: King Abdullah Sports City Stadium
The FIFA Club World Cup is a prestigious competition that attracts the best club teams from around the world. It is a great opportunity for fans to see the best players in the world compete for the ultimate club title.
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