UAE to host 2022 edition of FIFA Club World Cup

The much talked about FIFA Club World Cup returns to Abu Dhabi for the fifth time, the UAE Football Association and the Abu Dhabi Sports Council announced on Wednesday.

The UAE capital previously hosted the FIFA Club World Cup in 2009, 2010, 2017 and 2018.

Now fans can prepare for another edition of the massively popular competition in 2022.

Barcelona and Internazionale emerged winners of the first two editions in Abu Dhabi while Real Madrid were crowned champions of the next two in 2017 and 2018.

“We are absolutely delighted to host the FIFA Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi for the fifth time,” Aref Hamad Al Awani, General Secretary of Abu Dhabi Sports Council, said.

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“It goes without saying the competition brings both the fan-favourite clubs and players from around the world. This is awesome and a tremendous honour for us. We would like to thank Fifa for the confidence and faith they have on us, based on the past successes of playing host to this immensely popular competition.”

Al Awani said Abu Dhabi would remain committed to staging world-class sporting events every year.

“We remain single-minded in our commitment to bringing world-class sports events to Abu Dhabi and making the UAE a central hub for sporting events,” Al Awani said.

“It is of the utmost importance to us to offer a safe environment for the event, especially after successfully hosting a world-class sporting event that received praise for the organisation and for the best Covid protocols.

“We welcome fans to the Club World Cup with our traditional Arabic hospitality, state-of-the-art infrastructure and stadia, with world-class travel and leisure facilities.”

A February date seems most likely given the Africa Cup of Nations will be staged in Cameroon from January 9 to February 6.

Chelsea will be Europe’s representative after winning last season’s UEFA Champions League, while Al Ahly of Egypt are also confirmed participants.

Either Palmeiras or Flamengo will represent South America, with the Brazilian duo meeting in next month’s Copa Libertadores final.