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Fifa Club World Cup: China to host first edition of expanded tournament in 2021

Last updated on .From the section Footballcomments181

Real Madrid
Real Madrid won the 2018 edition of the Fifa Club World Cup

China will host the first edition of the expanded Fifa Club World Cup in 2021, with Fifa president Gianni Infantino describing it as "the first real and true [Club] World Cup".

The competition, which currently features seven teams, will be expanded to 24 teams from June 2021.

Top European clubs have previously said they will boycott the tournament.

"The new [tournament] will be a competition anyone who loves football is looking forward to," Infantino said.

Qatar will stage the final two editions of the seven-team tournament. The 2019 competition begins on 11 December, with Liverpool entering at the semi-final stage a week later.

In March, the European Club Association (ECA) expressed concern about expanding the tournament.

ECA board members, including Manchester United's executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward, signed a letter saying they were "firmly against any potential approval of a revised CWC", adding that no ECA clubs would take part.

Fifa has previously been criticised for staging events in countries with poor human rights records.

There have been mass protests in Hong Kong this year over proposals to allow extradition to mainland China.

Human rights group Amnesty International said China had an "atrocious human rights record" and Fifa must "use its considerable influence to push for human rights improvements".

Speaking at a Fifa council meeting in Shanghai, Infantino said the decision to hold the tournament in China was "historic" and would further develop the club game in Asia.

"It is the first real and true World Cup where the best clubs will compete," the Swiss-Italian said.

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181 comments

  • Comment posted by Slippery, at 08:04 24 Oct 2019

    China.... Another world renowned hotbed of football. There truly is no corruption to see here, move along.

  • Comment posted by cheesemuncher, at 07:56 24 Oct 2019

    A bit more money into FIFA's (cough) account?

  • Comment posted by bp24, at 08:20 24 Oct 2019

    So you thought things would improve once they kicked out Blatter? Wrong.

  • Comment posted by doctorkmt, at 08:15 24 Oct 2019

    What an utterly pointless competition. Money money money

  • Comment posted by Alargedog, at 08:11 24 Oct 2019

    Qatar? China? Nothing but money at stake here.

  • Comment posted by MidlandsJohn, at 08:27 24 Oct 2019

    Where are the extra clubs going to come from? The previous article stated a breakdown of 8 from Europe, 6 from South America etc. but how are these spots filled?

    With 8 Euro clubs you could wind up with the total farce of a club knocked out in the Champions League Quarter-Finals, having qualified without even winning their domestic league, being crowned "best club in the world" by winning this!

  • Comment posted by JonDoughThe2nd, at 08:12 24 Oct 2019

    Qatar and China; nowt to do with money then. No interest in this debacle whatsoever

  • Comment posted by Alex, at 10:00 24 Oct 2019

    So rather than two quarters and two semis culminating in a European team playing a South American team in the final we'll have a long-winded tournament culminating in a European team playing a South American team in the final

  • Comment posted by nosmokewithoutfire, at 08:12 24 Oct 2019

    Who Cares,PL clubs should boycott.

  • Comment posted by John The Wise One, at 08:39 24 Oct 2019

    Why are football authorities giving the time of day to a communist regime that has such a bad human rights record?

  • Comment posted by paul hirst, at 08:48 24 Oct 2019

    Another completely unnecessary expansion of a FIFA competition, just so the governing body can rake in more cash like their 48 team World Cup in 2026. Blatters long gone but it's new faces, same old greed.

  • Comment posted by U16696349, at 11:11 24 Oct 2019

    We won't play. We can't play.

    Oh. It's in China. Can we sell some shirts?

    OK then.

  • Comment posted by Beckett_4, at 11:36 24 Oct 2019

    Everything that is wrong with modern football in one article.

    Everything thats right with football will be in the FA cup 1st round

  • Comment posted by that swashbuckling polander of garwolin, at 09:48 24 Oct 2019

    Scrap it. Europe and our neighbours from Britain know where are the best teams and leagues in the world. FIFA loves cash and another meaningless tornament = more dough for these fat cats. What about human rights violations in China, Qatar, Azerbaijan ? What would be next FIFA /UEFA tornament location ? Saudi Arabia? Time to set up independent leagues, football federations.Monopoly leads to greed.

  • Comment posted by Bianca Jackson 5, at 11:28 24 Oct 2019

    There is no need for this competition. Football is already saturated with meaningless fixtures and tournaments.

    It’s obvious that the motivating factor in creating / expanding tournaments is to make money. The beautiful game is getting greedier and greedier.

  • Comment posted by Pluto101, at 08:52 24 Oct 2019

    Money, money, money that's all this is about for FIFA.

    The current world club championship is a complete farce of a competition, basically a Christmas time jolly for the Champions League winners.

    But in an already very overloaded schedule there isn't room for another major club championship.

    More does not equal better...............................

  • Comment posted by BlindXavi, at 08:18 24 Oct 2019

    With all due respect to South American teams, this competition will be dominated by European giants who will likely field their B-team and all. Footballers play far too many matches nowadays, and with the recent research into dementia, you'd think FIFA would stand up and notice they must condense the calendar. Obviously they notice the proverbial dollar before they care about safety.

  • Comment posted by charlie, at 10:47 24 Oct 2019

    "It is the first real and true World Cup where the best clubs will compete," the Swiss-Italian said.

    Except the best teams won't be there....

  • Comment posted by charlieboy, at 08:38 24 Oct 2019

    FIFA seems intent on just creating more and bigger tournaments.

    Are we now getting to saturation point?

    I know I reached that some tears ago with a champs leg and 32 team World Cup.

    You can keep the club World Cup. People by and large don’t care.

  • Comment posted by jackhunter, at 08:50 24 Oct 2019

    They expanded the Euros so teams who don't really deserve to be there go through, the World Cup will be expanded so teams who don't really deserve to be there go through and now this Club World Cup, how far are they going to drag this?

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