When and where is the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup?

• The 2022 FIFA Club World Cup is almost here and top clubs from each continent will clash
• The 2022 Club World Cup will be held in February 2023 contrary to the competitions name
• SportsLeo looks at when and where the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup will be held

This February, the top teams from each continent assemble in Morocco to compete for the title of the 2022 Club World Cup (even though it takes place in 2023).

The Club World Cup will continue to be a mini-tournament between the top club sides from each region of the world until FIFA and their collective wisdom can expand the championship to a 32-team slog each summer, further disrupting the already chaotic timetable.

Here is all the information you require regarding the approaching competition for global sporting dominance.

Which teams will compete in the 2023 Club World Cup?

The following is a list of the lucky seven clubs from around the world who will compete for international acclaim:

Al Ahly (Egypt)
Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)
Auckland City (New Zealand)
Flamengo (Brazil)
Real Madrid (Spain)
Seattle Sounders (USA)
Wydad Casablanca (Morocco)

The FIFA World Cup is a competition between six continental club champions and the club from the host nation and the 2022 Club World Cup will be held in Feb 2023. | PHOTO; CGTN |

How did each team qualify for the 2022 Club World Cup?

The top club competition on each continent should theoretically qualify for the tournament.

The current champions, Chelsea, were eliminated by Real Madrid in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League last year. Los Blancos ultimately won the competition, securing their spot in the Club World Cup.

In the South American version of the UEFA Champions League, the Copa Libertadores final in October saw Flamengo barely defeat Athletico Paranaense. Walid Regragui led Wydad Casablanca to their third CAF Champions League triumph last summer before leading Morocco to the World Cup semifinals.

Chelsea are the current champions of the FIFA World Cup but will not participate in the 2022 Club World Cup. | PHOTO; UEFA |

Wydad would have been given a spot in the competition regardless, having won the premier level in the country that was hosting the tournament, Morocco. Egypt’s Al Ahly, who lost to Wydad in the continental final, were guaranteed a spot in the football extravaganza in February.

The top club competitions in the CONCACAF and OFC regions, respectively, were won by Seattle Sounders and Auckland City, however the AFC Champions League final isn’t set until May 2023. Al Hilal, the defending champion from 2021, was chosen to represent Asia.

The record of each team in the Club World Cup

Real Madrid holds the record for most championships, winning four between 2014 and 2018. Flamengo of Brazil won the Intercontinental Cup, the predecessor to the Club World Cup, in 1981, however they have never won the new competition.

Auckland City has participated in nine iterations of the Club World Cup and is a recurrent champion of the OFC Champions League. The New Zealand giants finished third in the world rankings, which was their best result ever.

Al Ahly from Egypt had three podium finishes (2006, 2020, 2021). Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia has never advanced above the fourth place, and Wydad Casablanca of Morocco lost their only previous match against Pachuca of Mexico in the championship.

MLSside Seattle Sounders will be competing in the competition for the first time.

When is the 2022 Club World Cup draw?

FIFA must perform a draw to determine the second-round matchups before diving into the details of the forthcoming competition.

Al Hilal, Wydad Casablanca, Seattle Sounders, and the winner of the first-round match between Al Ahly and Auckland City will face off in two matches that will be determined by a draw and staged on January 13, 2023, at the Mohammed VI Football Academy in Sale, Morocco.

The victors of the two matches will play either Flamengo or Real Madrid in the semifinals, followed by a playoff for third place and the championship match.

When is the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup?

Don’t let the competition’s name mislead you. Inconveniently, the 2022 Club World Cup will take place from February 1 to February 11, 2023. The club-version of the competition typically takes place in December, but the 2022 Men’s World Cup occupied that time frame.

On February 1st, 2023, Al Ahly and Auckland City will play in the first round.

On February 4, 2023, the two second-round matches will take place.

Before the other finalist is chosen on February 8, 2023, the first semi-final will take place on February 7, 2023.

On February 11, 2023, the third-place playoff will include the two semi-final losers before the final is played later that day.

Where is the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup?

The Club World Cup will be held in Morocco for the third time in 10 years. When the competition was first held in the country of North Africa, Raja Casablanca advanced all the way to the championship game before falling to Bayern Munich by a score of 2-0 in 2013. The following year, Real Madrid was named champions in Marrakesh.

The Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat and Tangier’s Stade Ibn Batouta, which has a capacity of 60,000 each, will share hosting duties for half of the event.