Ittihad Jeddah gives Saudi Arabia its sixth appearance in the Club World Cup – Al-Shorouk

The Saudi Jeddah Federation returns to participate in the 2023 Club World Cup in Jeddah, as the champion of the Saudi League, as it records its second participation 18 years after its first participation as champion of the Asian continent in 2005.

The official website of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) discussed the history of Saudi participation in the Club World Cup, and the most prominent achievements achieved by Saudi clubs in previous editions.

Al-Nasr is the first Saudi club to participate in the Club World Cup, as it participated in the first edition in the history of the competition, which was launched in 2000. It was supposed to be held in 1999, but was postponed for a year.

Al-Nasr participated as champion of the Asian Super Cup in 1998, and since that participation the team has been known as “Al-Alamy”.

The tournament was held in two groups, and victory was won in a group that included Spanish Real Madrid, Brazilian Corinthians, and Moroccan Raja.

The Saudi team defeated Raja and lost to Real Madrid and Corinthians, leaving the tournament in the first round, with participation in which they won a match and scored 4 goals against eight goals conceded.

In 2005, the Club World Cup competitions returned with a new system after stopping for 4 years.

The new system allows only 7 clubs to participate instead of 8, and it is not played in a group system as it was in the first version.

With the return of the tournament, Al-Ittihad Club renewed Saudi participation after winning the AFC Champions League title, completing the journey in the Club World Cup edition held in Japan, and achieving fourth place in an achievement that was the best in the history of Saudi Arabia, the Arabs, and the Asian continent at that time.

Al-Ittihad defeated Al-Ahly of Egypt in the first round with a goal to nil, to meet Sao Paulo, the Copa Libertadores champion, and lose in a dramatic scenario by three goals to two, before losing the match for third and fourth place to Saprissa, the CONCACAF champion.

Al-Ittihad played three matches in the World Cup, scoring five goals and conceding six times.

Saudi football waited 14 years to return to the World Cup, through Al Hilal in the 2019 edition, as Al Hilal succeeded in qualifying for the Club World Cup for the first time in its history in 2019, after winning the AFC Champions League title, and in that edition it made a bid similar to what Al-Ittihad had made before it. At 14 years old, he also won the first round match against the African champion Esperance of Tunisia, and qualified to meet the Brazilian Flamengo, the Libertadores Cup champion, losing to them by three goals to one, before losing the third and fourth place match to the Mexican Monterrey.

In 2021, Al Hilal returned to the World Cup after only two years, becoming the first Saudi club to participate in the tournament twice, and also repeated its fourth place finish, after a victory over Al Jazira of the Emirates and a loss to Chelsea of ​​England in the semi-finals, then a loss to Al Ahly of Egypt in the third place match. .

In 2022, Al Hilal renewed its participation for the third time in history and the second in a row, during which it achieved the best Saudi achievement by reaching the final match, as the first Saudi team and the third Asian and Arab team to reach the final.

Al Hilal defeated Moroccan Wydad in the first round on penalties, before beating Brazilian Flamengo in the semi-final by three goals to two, and losing the final to Real Madrid by five goals to three, to achieve the silver medal, and exit the tournament scoring 7 goals, setting an unprecedented history for football. Saudi Arabia, and it is considered one of the best Asian football achievements in the Club World Cup ever.

Al Hilal played nine matches in the Club World Cup, during which it scored 17 goals, compared to 19 goals that it conceded.