The upcoming FIFA Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia, between December 12 and 22, may witness an Arab confrontation between the Egyptian Al-Ahly and the Saudi Al-Ittihad, according to the course of the draw that was held in Jeddah on Tuesday. The inaugural first-round match will bring together the renewed Saudi Al-Ittihad club, with its deals with the French, Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante, as the host Saudi champion, and New Zealand’s Auckland City, representing the Oceania continent.
Infantino pledged the best version of the Club World Cup (Saudi Federation)
The winner of the Al-Ittihad and Auckland confrontation will meet Al-Ahly, who won third place in the Club World Cup in 2020 and 2021 and finished the last edition in fourth place.
The confrontation between Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahly will be a repeat of the meeting that brought them together in the 2005 tournament in Japan, when Al-Ittihad won 1-0 over Al-Ahly and went on to finish fourth.
As for Manchester City, which won the European Champions League for the first time in its history, it will start its campaign in the competition from the semi-finals, where it will face the winner of the second round match between the Mexican Club Leon, representative of CONCACAF (North, Central America and the Caribbean) and the Japanese Urawa Reds, the Asian champion.
Karim Benzema attended the draw in Saudi uniform (Saudi Federation)
Likewise, the champion of the Libertadores Cup, whose identity will be known on the fourth of next November, as he faces the winner of the second match between Al-Ahly of Egypt and Al-Muntasir at the opening.
The International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA) chose Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to organize this edition last June, making the Kingdom the fourth Arab country to organize the Club World Cup after the UAE, Qatar and Morocco.
On the sidelines of the draw, the head of the Saudi Football Association, Yasser Al-Mishal, said, “Saudi Arabia has a great history in the Club World Cup through the multiple participation of Al-Nasr, Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad clubs.”
For his part, the President of the Saudi Federation welcomed the guests of the Kingdom, stressing that the successful organization of the ceremony embodies an important station in the Kingdom’s journey to organize an exceptional edition of the FIFA Club World Cup and welcome fans of the game from around the world, and enable them to go through unique experiences that combine the Kingdom’s great passion for football. And the authentic hospitality experiences for which it is famous.
Al-Mishal added: “In light of (Vision 2030), the Kingdom has succeeded in establishing its position as one of the most important and fastest growing sports destinations in the world, and organizing the 2023 edition of the Club World Cup is an important step in the continuous transformation process.”
He added, “Let’s celebrate sporting values in the Club World Cup, and next December we will celebrate the championship in Jeddah and we welcome all the world.”
For his part, Swiss-Italian FIFA President Gianni Infantino said: “We will work to organize the best version in the history of the International Federation.”
For his part, the FIFA President said that the Club World Cup brings together the best football clubs in the world, and witnesses the participation of 6 champions of continental competitions, in addition to the local league champion of the host country, as this exceptional tournament embodies a world-class football summit. Infantino added that the official draw ceremony reflects the Kingdom’s firm commitment to the development of football, amid great anticipation by football fans around the world. This tournament will contribute to enhancing the spirit of passion and competition between clubs and fans alike, and we look forward to watching strong confrontations between the world’s elite clubs during this prestigious tournament. The draw ceremony witnessed the organization of an additional paragraph to launch the official identity and logo of the tournament, noting that the official identity of the tournament was inspired by the traditional Sadu inscription and the color of the lavender flower, which symbolizes the authentic Saudi hospitality, while it was decided that the sale of tickets for the tournament would begin in the coming days.
Karim Benzema attended the draw, also wearing the Saudi uniform, as he considered that “Saudi Arabia is developing little by little, and has reached the international level.”
Benzema said, “I do not promise the fans anything, and we will try to do the best and wait for them to support us in the matches in Jeddah.”
He touched on the clubs participating in the Club World Cup, saying that “all clubs are great and deserve to be present in the World Cup.”
He added, “This is a strong tournament, and there are clubs that have big names, and we hope to present ourselves well and go as far as possible… I feel optimistic.”
As for Hossam Ghaly, a member of Al-Ahly’s board of directors, he said: “I think we will face the Jeddah Union, and it will be a strong and not easy match, and Al-Ahly is also always motivated to win and reach the farthest path.”
The format of this competition, which was launched in the year 2000, will change starting in 2025, as it will expand to include 32 teams, and it will be held every 4 years. Last December, FIFA approved raising the number of clubs participating in the FIFA Club World Cup to 32, starting from the 2025 edition, and announced at the beginning of this year the mechanism for distributing them according to continents.
The European Union got the largest number with 12 clubs, four for each of the Asian and African Confederations and CONCACAF, 6 for CONMEBOL (the South American Confederation), and a seat for the Oceania Confederation, in addition to a club from the host country.
The 2025 edition will be held in the United States, a year before it will also host, along with Canada and Mexico, the new edition of the FIFA World Cup, with the participation of 48 teams.
2023-09-06 02:13:04
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