The tournament will be held from Feb 4 – 11, 2021, having been postponed in December 2020 due to the pandemic.
Players and officials participating in the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup will maintain a strict medical bubble system including regular COVID-19 testing, safe transportation methods, and regular disinfection of tournament venues, including training and media facilities.
The latest restrictions come after several tennis players at the Australian Open qualifiers, held in Qatar, tested positive for the coronavirus.
The stadiums hosting the Club World Cup, Ahmed bin Ali and Education City, will be restricted to 30% capacity for spectators. Fans will also be required to present a negative Covid-19 test result taken no more than 72 hours prior to the match or show evidence that they’re not required to take the test, such as proof of contracting the virus after October 1 2020 or proof of receiving two doses of the vaccine.
International fans will be unable to attend because of Qatar’s virus mitigation measures, and there will be no public events including fan zones.
“During the last few months, Qatar has hosted several tournaments successfully despite the prevailing pandemic and that has given FIFA the confidence to host the Club World Cup in the country. The Ministry of Public Health in cooperation, with the local organising committee, has developed a special protocol and all those who are part of the event will be required to prove that they are not infected with the Coronavirus,” said Dr. Abdulwahab al-Musleh, senior consultant to the Ministry of Public Health.
The Club World Cup will 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.
Auckland City FC previously announced that they would be withdrawing from the FIFA Club World Cup due to new quarantine measures in New Zealand. Following the withdrawal of Auckland City, the host nation’s Al-Duhail SC, will move directly to the second round.
The Club World Cup’s first game will be played on February 4 while the final will be played at the Education City Stadium on February 11 at 21:00 Qatari local time. Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium will stage the first match on 4 February, and the FIFA Club World Cup champions will be crowned at the Education City Stadium on 11 February.
“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.
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