Club World Cup: Dates, teams, history & more

The 20th edition of the Club World Cup will be staged in Saudi Arabia this December, with Champions League winners Manchester City among the teams participating.

A total of seven teams from six confederations will be competing for overall glory and this will be the final staging of the event in its current format, with the tournament set to be expanded to 32 teams in 2025.

What is the Club World Cup?

The Club World Cup is an international men's football competition organised by FIFA, the sport's governing body.

The inaugural edition in 2000 was held in Brazil, where Corinthians were crowned champions, while the 19th staging of the tournament took place in Morocco earlier this year with Real Madrid lifting the trophy for a fifth time.

Club World Cup Format

The Club World Cup involves the winners of that year's AFC Champions League (Asia), CAF Champions League (Africa), CONCACAF Champions League (North America), Copa Libertadores (South America), OFC Champions League (Oceania) and UEFA Champions League (Europe), along with the host nation's national champions, who all participate in a straight knockout tournament.

A draw is held to determine the match-ups of the second round, which is between the first-round winner and teams from AFC, CAF and CONCACAF, while the winners of those two matches go on to face the teams from CONMEBOL and UEFA in the semi-finals.

The winners of both semi-finals contest the final, while the two losers from the last four face off in the third/fourth place clash.

Club World Cup Holders

Real Madrid were crowned champions when the tournament was last staged in February 2023, with Los Blancos claiming a memorable 5-3 victory over Saudi Pro League giants Al-Hilal in the final.

Club World Cup Dates

The last three editions of the tournament have been staged in February, but this year's event has been switched back to its traditional December slot.

Champions League holders Manchester City enter the tournament at the semi-final stage on Tuesday 19th December, with the final scheduled for Friday 22nd December.

Club World Cup Venue

The entirety of the tournament will be staged in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah, with five matches, including the final, taking place at King Abdullah Sports City, while the other two matches are set for the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium.

This will be the first time Saudi Arabia has hosted the Club World Cup, but the Middle East is no stranger to staging the event, which has been held on multiple occasions in both the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

Club World Cup Teams

Team	Confederation	Qualification
Manchester City	UEFA	2022/23 Champions League winners
Fluminense	CONMEBOL	2023 Copa Libertadores winners
Urawa Red Diamonds	AFC	2022 AFC Champions League winners
Al Ahly	CAF	2022/23 CAF Champions League winners
Club Leon	CONCACAF	2023 CONCACAF Champions League winners
Auckland City	OFC	2023 OFC Champions League winners
Al-Ittihad	AFC (host)	2022/23 Saudi Pro League winners

Club World Cup How To Watch

All matches will be broadcast across FIFA’s digital platforms, while the last edition of the Club World Cup was also shown via the BBC Red Button and iPlayer service.

Club World Cup Favourites 

Manchester City may be competing at their first Club World Cup, but Pep Guardiola's side will start as heavy favourites to lift the trophy, something European teams have achieved at each of the last 10 stagings of the tournament.

The Citizens will enter the competition at the semi-final stage where they will take on the winner of the second-round tie between Club Leon of Mexico and Urawa Red Diamonds from Japan.

In the other half of the draw, this year's Copa Libertadores winners Fluminense will also begin their trophy challenge at the semi-final stage.

Fluminense will face either Egyptian outfit Al Ahly, who are guaranteed their place in the second round, or either Al-Ittihad of Saudi Arabia or Auckland City from New Zealand, with those two sides set to face off in the tournament's only first-round contest.