November 22 – With the noisy discontent around FIFA’s new Club World Cup competition often at deafening levels, it old Club World Cup – rebranded as the FIFA Intercontinental Cup – is gently progressing to its finals stage, December 11-18 in Qatar.
Last week Qatar and the participating clubs completed a week-long visit to Qatar to familiarise themselves with stadiums, training sites and accommodation.
Roberto Grassi, FIFA Head of Youth Tournaments (his title would suggest that qualified clubs might be sending their academy teams), said: “Qatar have world-class sporting facilities for football and plenty of other sports. They have also developed hosting capabilities and a pool of expertise and talented people that have worked across all the events, including the World Cup. This legacy still lives here today and will be on full display during the FIFA Intercontinental Cup.”
The tournament has three games left to play. The first will be on December 11 between Concacaf qualifiers Pachuca from Mexico, and the 2024 winners of Conmebol’s Copa Libertadores (either Athletico Mineiro or Botafogo who play tomorrow). The match is being dubbed the FIFA Derby of the Americas.
The winner will play Egypt’s Al Ahly in what FIFA is calling the FIFA Challenger Cup Qatar 2024, on December 14. The winner of that match will progress to the Intercontinental Cup final against UEFA and Spain’s Real Madrid (2023 Champions League winners).
Stadium 974 will host the first two matches, before the final match at the 89,000-capacity Lusail Stadium – marking the two-year anniversary of the World Cup Qatar 2022 final.
Jassim Al Obaidly, Stadium 974 Venue Manager for the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) said: “Stadium 974, like all other Qatar 2022 venues, has been built to the highest technical standards, and was specifically designed to deliver a stunning fan experience during matches. Its design reflects the innovative vision that guided all of the facilities we have here in Qatar.”
Stadium legacy has been a major issue with country’s hosting the World Cup. Qatar as put their stadia and infrastructure to work post-2022 having hosted the AFC’s Asian Cup as well as the U23 Asian Cup. It will also host FIFA’s men’s U17 World Cup for the next seven years.
Filling the Lusail stadium may prove to be more of a challenge but the facilities are undoubtedly among the best in the world and certainly worthy of a stop on any football tourist’s bucket list.
Ali Al Dosari, LOC Lusail Stadium Venue Manager, said: “Lusail Stadium is one of the world’s greatest stadiums. It is an arena that captured the world’s imagination in Qatar 2022, and then again during the Asian Cup 2023. The venue will surely be a wonderful host to the final match of this tournament, creating new lifetime memories for fans from around the world.”
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