Saudi Arabia to host 2023 FIFA Club World Cup

The 2023 Club World Cup will take place in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah, football’s world governing body FIFA said on Monday. Reuters reported that the decision was announced following a FIFA delegation visit to Jeddah last week to assess ongoing preparations for the tournament.

“We are delighted that Jeddah, with its state-of-the-art facilities and reputation for hosting major international sports events, has been selected as host city for the FIFA Club World Cup,” said the President of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF), Yasser Al-Misehal.

The tournament will be played from 12-22 December. It will be the first time that it will be hosted by Saudi Arabia.

The 2023 tournament will be the last in the current format of an annual event involving seven teams. It is to be expanded to a 32-team tournament for the first time in 2025, hosted by the United States.

The seven teams scheduled to participate in the tournament in December are: Al-Ahly (2022/23 CAF Champions League winners); Al-Ittihad (AFC, host): Auckland City (2023 OFC Champions League winners): Club Léon (2023 CONCACAF Champions League winners): Manchester City (2022/23 UEFA Champions League winners): Urawa Red Diamonds (2022 AFC Champions League winners): TBD (2023 CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores winners).

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