Fifa pick Saudi Arabia for next Club World Cup
Saudi Arabia will host the next edition of the Club World Cup, Fifa confirmed today, in what will be the Kingdom’s first major global footballing tournament.
The tournament will be held in the Middle East between 12 and 23 December 2023 and, as always, will consist of the winners of each continent’s top draw European competition.
European teams – including Real Madrid, Chelsea and Liverpool – have won the tournament in each of the last 10 years.
Saudi to play hosts
The LaLiga leaders beat Saudi Arabian team Al-Hilal in front of 44,000 people in Morocco this month to claim their seventh title.
Awarding the bid to the Kingdom confirms a first venture into major footballing tournaments for Saudi Arabia with the nation keen on co-hosting the 2030 World Cup alongside Greece and Egypt.
Saudi Arabia will be the sixth hosts of this competition since 2000.
Lionel Messi has links to the country while Cristiano Ronaldo currently plies his trade in Saudi Arabia for Al-Nassr.
HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal, said: “We are honored and extremely excited to be given the opportunity to welcome the world’s leading football clubs and their fans to Saudi Arabia.
“Many fans will have recently witnessed our ability as a nation to compete at the highest possible level on the pitch.
“Now we have the chance to prove we are also world-class hosts off it. We look forward to showcasing our genuine love of the game and our desire to be a force for good.
“Today is another important step forward on our journey of transformation in football and as a country and I trust all involved will see for themselves the undeniable progress being made at many different levels.
“We host international sports for the simple reason that we truly believe in the power of sport to inspire our boys and girls, to create new connections and build new relationships.
“This will mean so much to our people where 70% are under the age of 35 and are absolutely obsessed with football.