Morocco has been awarded the hosting rights to host the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup scheduled for February next.
The decision was taken as one of the resolutions of the FIFA Council on Friday to award Morocco the hosting rights.
Seven teams from the six different Confederations will assemble for the showpiece in six weeks.
European champions Real Madrid, South American champions Flamengo and Seattle Sounders, the first CONCACAF champions league winner from the United States, will play in the traditional seven-team tournament.
It should be noted that the Club World Cup will witness an expansion of teams from seven to 32 teams – a one-month tournament that will go operational in 2025.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino said the intended change is “making it like a World Cup”.
This will be the third time Morocco is hosting this event as they last hosted it in 2013 and 2014 – won by Bayern Munich and Real Madrid respectively.
The City of Casablanca should stage games with Africa to provide two teams in the 10-day competition that features Continental club champions from the six different considerations.
The Seven Participating teams.
🇪🇸 Real Madrid
🇧🇷 Flamengo
🇲🇦 Wydad Casablanca
🇪🇬 Al Ahly
🇳🇿 Auckland City
🇺🇸 Seattle Sounders
🇸🇦 Al Hilal
Wydad Casablanca will represent Africa at the tournament and will be joined by rivals Al Ahly who were runners-up in the competition. Both teams will represent Africa at the tournament to fulfil the two places for the host continent.
Only European and South American teams have won the tournament since it was revived in the current format in 2005.
The closest Africa has come in the competition was in 2011 when TB Mazambe were runners -to Inter Milan.
FIFA had long conceived the idea to expand the tournament to 24 or 32 teams – a planned maiden edition was to take place in China in June last year but didn’t take place because of Covid and no tournament format was agreed upon nor broadcast or sponsorship deals signed.
The 2025 launch is now planned, but FIFA president Infantino said he will have talks with different stakeholders after the decision was approved by the FIFA council on Friday.
Reports say the 32-team could take place in the United States to serve as a test for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada.
