Last Update: January 31, 2023, 09:04 IST
FIFA Club World Cup (Source: Twitter)
Real Madrid will seek to win their fifth FIFA Club World Cup title as the tournament begins in Morocco
one of the last clubs World The cup in its current format begins on Wednesday in Morocco, where Real Madrid will be favorites to continue Europe’s dominance of the much-hyped FIFA competition.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced on the sidelines of the World Cup in Qatar in December that an expanded Club World Cup is planned from 2025.
The mega-event, which will feature 32 teams, has been a controversial pet project of Infantino’s for some time. A 24-team Club World Cup, involving eight European sides, was due to take place in China in 2021, but was put on hold because of this. coronavirus Epidemic.
World football’s governing body has yet to reveal any further details about the plans, but global players’ union FIFPro has already complained about Infantino making the announcement “without seriously consulting with the players … unilaterally”. Is.
Read this also ‘There’s nothing left, I’ve achieved everything’: Lionel Messi gives key hints on his retirement
For now, the Club World Cup is underway with just seven teams including the six continental champions.
After five consecutive editions in the Middle East, it returns to Morocco, which hosted the tournament in 2013 and 2014, and Real will be hoping to become their 10th European winner in a row.
Real, the current European champions, have claimed the title four times, including in 2014 in Morocco.
Real will advance to the semi-finals on February 8 and play in Rabat against CONCACAF champions Seattle Sounders, Egyptian giants Al Ahly or New Zealand’s Auckland City, champions of Oceania.
If they win, Carlo Ancelotti’s side will reach the final on February 11.
Read this also Copa del Rey: Real Madrid and Barcelona will face each other in the ‘El Clasico’ semi-finals
– Moroccan Expectations –
In the other semi-final, last year’s Copa Libertadores winners Flamengo will face Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal or home hopes Waydad Casablanca.
Widely dismissed in Europe as an irrelevance, the competition is considered far more prestigious in the rest of the world, a chance for their best sides to pit themselves against giants such as Real.
Brazilian clubs have won the Club World Cup four times, most recently in 2012 via Corinthians. Wydad will be hoping to become the first African club to win.
The host nation is always represented, but Widad also won last year’s CAF Champions League, and so Al Ahly—the team they defeated in the final—has also been invited to participate.
Walid Regaragui led Wyad to that continental title before leading Morocco to a historic run to the World Cup semi-finals in Qatar.
“It’s good for Morocco – especially after we have the World Cup – for people to see that there is football here, there are fans, and beautiful stadiums. It’s going to be fantastic for our country,” Regargui said. told FIFA.com
The competition begins on Wednesday when Al Ahly – a record 10-time African champions who have finished third in the last two Club World Cups – plays Auckland City in Tangier.
The tournament will be the first to see a referee after the International Football Association Board, the sport’s lawmakers, approved a test that will allow fans in stadiums to hear officials explain decisions taken after VAR reviews.
read all Latest sports news Here
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)