The tournament draw will be held on January 19 on the FIFATV YouTube channel
Auckland City FC have announced that they are withdrawing from the FIFA Club World Cup scheduled to kickoff in Qatar on February 1.
With new quarantine measures in New Zealand now in place, the requirements of authorities there go beyond FIFA’s remit, and “it was not possible to reach a solution,” read a statement by the world football governing body.
Following the withdrawal of Auckland City, the trophy will now be contested by Al-Duhail SC, Al Ahly SC, FC Bayern Munich, Ulsan Hyundai FC, Tigres UANL and the winners of the CONMEBOL Libertadores final, which is scheduled for January 30.
The first round match which was to feature Auckland City and Al Duhail will no longer take place and instead the Qatari club will automatically progress to the second round, the draw for which will take place on January 19, in Zurich. The draw will also be livestreamed on the FIFATV YouTube channel.
Read also: FIFA Club World Cup Qatar: Here’s all you need to know
The games will be played at three FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 stadiums, including: Ahmad Bin Ali, Khalifa International, and Education City. The Club World Cup’s final will be played at the Education City Stadium on February 11 at 21:00 Qatari local time.
“Hosting the second edition of the FIFA Club World Cup in a row will allow us to build on our operational experience and apply learnings both from 2019, as well as the tournaments attended by fans in Qatar throughout 2020,” said Nasser Al Khater, Chief Executive Officer of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
It will help ensure we deliver an amazing experience for every fan when the Middle East and Arab world hosts its first FIFA World Cup,” Al Khater added.
Qatar has been working over the past months during the pandemic to ensure the safety, health and wellbeing of all of its players and sports fans, the official noted.
“We look forward to welcoming the world’s best clubs in the New Year for what will be yet another important milestone on the road to Qatar 2022,” Al Khater added.
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