The FIFA Club World Cup begins and there is already one certainty: there will be an unprecedented champion. Manchester City, Fluminense, León, Al Ahly, Urawa Red Diamonds, Auckland City and Al Ittihad never lifted the trophy in the competition that will take place from today until December 22 in the city of Jeddah, in Saudi Arabia.
The action will get underway with the duel between Al Ittihad and Auckland City at 3:00 p.m. (Brasília time). The team has the Argentine coach Marcelo Gallardo and great figures such as Karim Benzema, recovered from some physical discomfort, Fabinho and N’golo Kanté.
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The favorite, in principle, is Manchester City, which is seeking its fifth title this year, after the Champions League, the Premier League, the FA Cup, and the European Super Cup. The great strategist is Pep Guardiola, who has already won this tournament twice with FC Barcelona and once with Bayern Munich, and has the Norwegian Erling Haaland as a great scorer in a squad full of world stars.
Fluminense and León will seek to end the European reign
The English team has an irregular progress in the Premier League and that generates hope for the rest of the teams, especially for the representatives of America: Fluminense, winner of the Copa Libertadores, and León, who won the Concachampions. The last non-European champion of this tournament is Corinthians, who achieved it in 2012.
Who will be the next #ClubWC winners? 🏆 pic.twitter.com/Ud4r1LwysU
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) December 11, 2023
City already knows that they will face León, or the Japanese Urawa Red Diamonds, champion of the Asian Champions League. The Flu also awaits a rival that will emerge from the quarterfinal duel between the African champion, Egyptian Al Alhy, and the winner of today’s match between Al Ittihad and Auckland City, Oceania champion.
Heir to the Intercontinental Cup, which pitted the winner of America against the winner of Europe in a single match, this will be the last edition of the FIFA Club World Cup with a seven-team format. In 2025 the United States will host a tournament expanded to 32 participants, kicking off a contest that will be held every four years.
