FIFA has awarded Morocco the hosting rights for the next Club World Cup in February with an expanded 32-team version slated to debut in 2025.
From February 1 through 11, the usual seven-team competition will feature Real Madrid, the European champion, Flamengo, the South American champion, and Seattle Sounders, the first American team to win the CONCACAF Champions League.
Following Morocco’s remarkable journey to the World Cup semifinals in Qatar, FIFA’s governing council announced that the country would host the Club World Cup in six weeks.
From 2025, the seven-team edition for clubs champions across the world is expected to give way for an enlarged, month-long competition.
Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, stated that the goal of the move was to make “it really like a World Cup.”
In the 10-day competition in 2023, which includes continental champions from each of the six soccer confederations in the world, Morocco’s Casablanca will host all the games and the city is slated to offer two teams.
Last year, Wydad won both the Moroccan league and the Champions League for Africa. The spot that FIFA reserves for the domestic champion of the host nation should go to Raja, who finished second in the domestic league.
Both teams have their headquarters in Casablanca, where some of the eight Club World Cup matches are likely to be played in the 67,000-seat Stade Mohammed V.
Note that Morocco had hosted the Club World Cups in 2013 and 2014, which were triumphed by Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, respectively.
Since the Club World Cup was reinstated in 2005 under the current format, only European and South American sides have claimed victory.
FIFA has long wished to introduce an expanded edition with 24 or 32 countries competing in a June event.
The COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of a planned inaugural edition in China in 2021, though no tournament format had been decided upon and no broadcasters or sponsors had been confirmed then.
After the ruling council of FIFA approved the expansion of the tournament on Friday, Infantino announced that a 2025 debut is now anticipated and pledged to initiate talks with stakeholders in the sport.
The expanded edition of the Club World Cup might take place in America and to act as a trial run for the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Morocco
Morocco, often known as the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost nation in North Africa’s Maghreb area.
Its land boundaries with Algeria to the east and the disputed territory of Western Sahara to the south overlook the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west.
South of Western Sahara is Mauritania, the Spanish colonies of Ceuta, Melilla, and Peón de Velez de la Gomera, as well as a number of smaller Spanish-controlled islands off its coast, are also claimed by Morocco.
With a population of about 37 million, it covers an area of 446,300 km2 (172,300 sq mi) or 710,850 km2 (274,460 sq mi).
Islam is the official religion, while Arabic and Berber are the official languages; the Moroccan Arabic dialect and French are also commonly used.
Arab, Berber, and European civilizations are all blended into Moroccan identity and culture. Its major city is Casablanca, while Rabat serves as its capital.
FIFA Club World Cup
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the world’s governing body of football, hosts the FIFA Club World Cup, an international men’s association football championship.
In 2000, the FIFA Club World Championship was held as the inaugural edition of the contest.
Due to a number of factors, including the collapse of FIFA’s marketing partner International Sport and Leisure (ISL), the tournament was not held from 2001 to 2004. However, starting in 2005, it has been held annually and has been hosted by Brazil, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, and Qatar.
Regarding the prestige of the cup, opinions vary: in South America, it is the subject of spirited discussion while most of Europe struggles to draw attention to it.
With four victories, Real Madrid holds the record for most championships. The best performance by the national league champions of the host nation is still Corinthians’ initial triumph.
Spain has had the most teams win the competition with seven victories.
Chelsea is the current world champion after winning the 2021 FIFA Club World Cup Final with a 2-1 victory over Palmeiras in extra time.
