The new-look FIFA Club World Cup is coming this June and July with every game available to watch live on Foxtel and Kayo Sports.
Thirty-two teams from across six confederations will descend on the United States with the likes of English Premier League heavyweights Manchester City as well as Spanish giants Real Madrid to vie for the title of best club team in the world.
The revamped tournament replicates the format of previous FIFA World Cups with eight groups of four battling it out with the two highest places team in each group advancing to the Round of 16, and it being sudden death through from then on with quarter-finals, semi-finals and a final following suit.
Unfortunately for Nigerian and Australian football fans, no A-League sides managed to nab one of the Asian Football Confederation places, but Auckland City from New Zealand’s national league will represent Oceania.
And best of all, all 63 games will be shown live across Kayo and Foxtel.
Here is our guide to how the FIFA Club World Cup will work.
HOW TO WATCH
From the opening game between Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami and Egyptian outfit Al Ahly at Hard Rock Stadium, the home of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, on Sunday June 15 AEST to the final at New York’s MetLife Stadium on Monday July 14 AEST, you can catch all the action from the FIFA Club World Cup live on Foxtel and Kayo Sports.
A dedicated 24/7 channel will be available on Kayo Sports along with highlights packages, minis from every match and supplementary programming with all the colour and background stories from the tournament.
WHO ARE THE TEAMS INVOLVED?
Asian Football Confederation – Al Ain (UAE), Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia), Ulsan HD (South Korea), Urawa Red Diamonds (Japan).
Confederation of African Football – Al Ahly (Egypt), Esperance de Tunis (Tunisia), Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa), Wydad AC (Morocco).
Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football – Inter Miami (United States), Monterrey (Mexico), Pachuca (Mexico), Seattle Sounders (United States), TBD (Winner of LAFC v Club America).
South American Football Confederation – Boca Juniors (Argentina), Botafogo (Brazil), Flamengo (Brazil), Fluminense (Brazil), Palmeiras (Brazil), River Plate (Argentina).
Oceania Football Confederation – Auckland City (New Zealand).
Union of European Football Associations – Atletico Madrid (Spain), Bayern Munich (Germany), Benfica (Portugal), Borussia Dortmund (Germany), Chelsea (England), Inter Milan (Italy), Juventus (Italy), Manchester City (England), PSG (France), Porto (Portugal), Real Madrid (Spain), Red Bull Salzberg (Austria).
WHY IS THERE NO A-LEAGUE TEAM INVOLVED?
Qualification for the FIFA Club World Cup was dependent on either winning a continental title in one of the four most-recent seasons or by having a high ranking of performance in the top-level continental tournament over the four-year period.
No A-League side has won the Asian Champions League (now called AFC Champions League Elite) since Western Sydney Wanderers in 2014, in fact they are the only Australian team to do so, and no A-League teams have performed consistently strongly in Asia in the last four years either.
Therefore, the four spots went to 2023-24 champions Al Ain, 2022 champions Urawa Red Diamonds, 2021 winners Al-Hilal and 2020 victors Ulsan HD.
WHY ARE LIVERPOOL NOT INVOLVED?
It appears odd that the Premier League champions will not be a part of the FIFA Club World Cup, but like in Asia, England’s spots are dependent on Champions League success.
Given Manchester City (2023) and Chelsea (2021) have won the European title in the last four years, the two spot England were awarded were given to them rather than Liverpool.
HOW DID OTHER TEAMS QUALIFY?
Some teams who did not win their respective federation’s continental title in the past four years were awarded places for their average performance over the four-year cycle.
There was also a spot reserved for the host country, which was given to David Beckham-owned, Lionel Messi-featuring Major League Soccer side Inter Miami.
Culled from www.foxsports.com
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