Libertadores champion may face Benzema’s team at the World Cup
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A This Tuesday, FIFA drew the matches and rankings for the 2023 Club World Cup. The ceremony took place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where the tournament will take place between December 12th and 22nd. The champion of the Copa Libertadores, which has the Brazilians Palmeiras, Internacional and Fluminense, in addition to Boca Juniors (ARG), as competitors, will face in the semifinals the winner of the confrontation between Al Ahly x Al-Ittihad or Auckland City.
The debut of a possible Brazilian team in the Club World Cup will be on December 19. Among the possible opponents of the Libertadores champion is Al-Ittihad, from Saudi Arabia, who recently signed Karim Benzema, current winner of the Golden Ball award, in addition to N’Golo Kanté and Fabinho. The Saudi club, which secured their place in the tournament as they are current champions of the main league in the host country, are playing in the preliminary round against Auckland City, a team from New Zealand and champions of the Oceania Champions League. The winner gets Al Ahly (EGI), who won the African continental title.
On the other side of the bracket, Manchester City, champions of the Champions League, will face the winner of the clash between Club León (MEX) and Urawa Reds (JAP) in the semifinals. This will be the first time that the team led by Pep Guardiola will compete in the FIFA Club World Cup.
Although Fifa wants to keep the tournament annually, the current format is not yet guaranteed for 2024. Football’s governing body wants to exclude the host country and make a final on a neutral field between the champion of the intercontinental playoff between the other Confederations.
In 2025, the tournament will be contested by 32 teams from six continents, being held every four years. The current champion of the tournament is Real Madrid. In the last ten editions, the European club has always been champion. The last Brazilian to win the tournament was Corinthians, in 2012, and the last team in the country to play in the final was Palmeiras, in 2022, when they lost the decision 2-1 to Chelsea.
Check out the matches of the FIFA Club World Cup:
preliminary phase
Al-Ittihad v Auckland City
Quarterfinals
Al Ahly v Al-Ittihad or Auckland City
Leon vs Urawa Red Diamonds
semifinals
Libertadores Champion vs Al Ahly vs Al-Ittihad or Auckland City
Manchester City vs Leon vs Urawa Red Diamonds
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