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Some of the world’s finest football stars will descend on the Gulf this week as the 2018 FIFA Club World Cup kicks off in the United Arab Emirates.
The Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu Dhabi and the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain is hosting eight thrilling matches culminating in Saturday’s final. The seven teams consist of various club champions from six FIFA confederations and an all-conquering home champion.
Collectively, the seven teams have won 309 major trophies including national league and cup titles, continental competitions, and past editions of the FIFA Club World Cup and its predecessor, the Intercontinental Cup.
Aref Hamed Al Awani, tournament director of the FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2018 local organising committee, said: “Our magnificent seven are confirmed and the tournament is finally ready to go. The teams are ready, the fans are ready, and Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and the UAE are ready.”
Representing Oceania, New Zealand’s Team Wellington FC wrote a new chapter in their football history by winning the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) Champions League for the first time in May. ‘Team Welly’ became the tournament’s second confirmed qualifier when they defeated Fijian champions Lautoka FC 10-3 on aggregate in a two-legged final.
Coached by Englishman José Manuel Figueira, the semi-professional team will contest an opening qualifier against Al Ain FC, the reigning Arabian Gulf League (AGL) champion.
Nicknamed ‘The Boss’, Al Ain FC qualified for the tournament following their own historic season in 2017/18, where they completed a domestic UAE President’s Cup and AGL double for the first time in their history. Al Ain FC are marking their 50th anniversary celebrations this year.
Whoever progresses to the second round faces Espérance Sportive de Tunis, the new club champions of Africa. The Tunisian side qualified for the tournament with a 4-3 aggregate win over Egyptian giants Al Ahly SC in November’s two-legged CAF Champions League final.
In the other second-round clash, Asia meets North America as AFC champions Kashima Antlers from Japan face Mexico’s CD Guadalajara, who become the first continental champion to qualify for the FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2018 following a dramatic 4-2 penalty shoot-out win over Toronto FC in the North and Central American and the Caribbean (CONCACAF) Champions League in April.
The losing sides from the second round will contest a fifth-place play-off, before Kashima Antlers or CD Guadalajara face Argentinian side Club Atlético River Plate in the tournament’s first semi-final.
River Plate won the right to represent South America’s CONMEBOL confederation and become the tournament’s final confirmed qualifier after defeating domestic rivals Boca Juniors in the Copa Libertadores final last weekend.
The other semi-finalists face history-making UEFA Champions League winners, Real Madrid, in the second semi. The Spanish club beat English Premier League side Liverpool 3-1 in Kiev in May to become the first team to win three consecutive editions of Europe’s premier club tournament.
The UAE capital stadium will host the grand finale at 19:30 Bahrain time on Saturday.
