As winners of last season’s Champions League, we’ll be representing Europe at the showpiece.
It’s the last time it will take place during the season, with the next edition to be an extended format in 2025.
We’ll join the competition at the semi-final stage and face Japanese club Urawa Red Diamonds.
2023 FIFA Club World Cup explainer
It’s also guaranteed that we’ll play twice in Jeddah, no matter the result in our semi-final on 19 December.
Should we win, we’ll play the final on 22 December. However, defeat would mean we’re in the third place play-off earlier that day.
In alphabetical order, here’s a little more about the other sides at this winter’s FIFA Club World Cup…
Al Ahly
Country: Egypt
Qualification: Winners of the 2022/23 CAF Champions League. Al Ahly beat Moroccan club Wydad AC in a two-legged final in June. They won the first leg 2-1 in Cairo before holding out for a 1-1 draw in Casablanca and claiming a 3-2 aggregate victory.
They reached the final after a second placed finish in Group B, a quarter-final defeat of Moroccan club Raja CA and a 4-0 semi-final aggregate win against Esperance de Tunis from Tunisia.
Route to final: Al Ahly join the competition in the second round, where they will play the winner of the first round clash between Al-Ittihad and Auckland City. Should they win that, they will come up against Brazilian side Fluminense in the semi-final.
About Al Ahly: Al Ahly were founded in 1907 and with 43 Egyptian Premier League titles, 38 Egypt Cup titles, 13 Egyptian Super Cups and 11 CAF Champions Leagues is the most successful club in Africa.
They play at 75,000-capacity Cairo International Stadium in the country’s capital. “Arise, Al Ahly” is the club’s official anthem written in 1957 and regularly sung by fans at matches.
In recent years, Al Ahly have dominated African football by winning the 2019/20, 2020/21 and 2022/23 CAF Champions League and finishing as runners-up in 2021/22.
Manager: Swiss coach Marcel Koller joined Al Ahly in September 2022. He began his managerial career in 1997 and coached Swiss sides Wil, St. Gallen and Grasshoppers before moving to Germany for FC Koln and VfL Bochum.
In 2011, he was named coach of Austria’s national team and guided the country to the 2016 Euros before leaving in 2017. He then coached FC Basel before leaving in 2020.
Current squad: Al Ahly’s squad largely consists of Egypt’s best players with a sprinkling of star quality from the rest of Africa including South Africa’s Percy Tau, Morocco’s Reda Slim and Mali’s Aliou Dieng. Goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy is the captain.
French striker Anthony Modeste is a recent addition, having joined in September following his release from Borussia Dortmund. He has previously spent time with Nice, Bordeaux, Hoffenheim and Koln.
Al-Ittihad
Country: Saudi Arabia
Qualification: Winners of the 2022/23 Saudi Professional League. The champions of the national league of the host country join the six continental winners in the competition.
Al-Ittihad claimed 72 points from 30 matches to beat Al-Nassr to the league title by five points. That domestic title was their first since 2009.
Route to final: Al-Ittihad will face Auckland City in the first round. Should they win that, they will play Al Ahly in the second round and then Fluminense in the semi-final.
About Al-Ittihad: Al-Ittihad are based in Jeddah, the city where this year’s FIFA Club World Cup will entirely take place. They play at the King Abdullah Sports City, where City’s semi-final and the final will be played, and are widely regarded as the best supported club in Saudi Arabia.
They were founded in 1927 and have since won nine Saudi Pro Leagues, nine King Cups and eight Crown Prince Cups. They were also 2004 and 2005 AFC Champions League winners.
Al-Ittihad’s rivalry with Riyadh-based Al-Hilal is affectionately known as the Saudi Clasico. The match is often the most watched encounter in Saudi Arabia each season.
Manager: Al-Ittihad are currently searching for a new manager after parting ways with Nuno Espirito Santo earlier this month.
Espirito Santo joined in July 2022 and led Al-Ittihad to last season’s title but the team are currently way off the pace in this year’s title race.
Current squad: Al-Ittihad have been a key player in the influx of talent to Saudi Arabia in 2023, with Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante and Fabinho all joining the Club.
There are three further Brazilian players in the squad; Igor Coronado, Romarinho and Marcelo Grohe. Italian defender Luiz Felipe also joined earlier this year from Real Betis.
The rest of the squad is formed by Saudi Arabia’s best talents including several of the players who shocked Argentina at the 2022 World Cup.
Auckland City
Country: New Zealand
Qualification: Winners of the 2023 OFC Champions League. Auckland won their 11th OFC title in May by beating Fijian side Suva 4-2 after extra time in Port Vila in Vanuatu.
After winning all three games in the group stage, Auckland beat Vanuatu side Ifira Black Bird on penalties after 2-2 draw.
Route to final: Auckland City will face Al-Ittihad in the first round. Should they win that, they will play Al Ahly in the second round and then Fluminense in the semi-final.
About Auckland City: Formed in 2004 after the inception of the New Zealand Football Championship, Auckland City quickly became a force in New Zealand and across Oceania. They have won eight national titles and 11 OFC Champions Leagues, including seven in a row between 2011 and 2017.
The semi-professional outfit play at the 3,250-capacity Kiwitea Street in Auckland. In 2014, they achieved their best finish at the Club World Cup by beating Mexican side Cruz Azul on penalties in the third place play-off.
With Wellington Phoenix competing in the Australian A-League, Auckland have become New Zealand’s dominant club.
Manager: Auckland’s manager is a Spaniard that shares a name with a former City player. Albert Riera spent the majority of his career in New Zealand with Auckland City and Wellington Phoenix before retiring in 2021 and taking over as manager.
Before moving to New Zealand, Riera played for local sides in Catalonia.
Current squad: With New Zealand’s national squad largely plying their trade in Europe, Auckland City’s squad largely comprises of part-time players from New Zealand with a few talents from overseas including China’s Zhou Tong, Japan’s Takuya Iwata and Argentinian Emiliano Tade.
Fluminense
Country: Brazil
Qualification: Winners of the 2023 Copa Libertadores. Just like City, the Brazilian side won their elite continental competition for the first time in 2023. They beat Argentine giants Boca Juniors in the final at the Maracana earlier this month.
They qualified for the final with knockout wins over Argentinian side Argentinos Juniors, Paraguayan club Olimpia and fellow Brazilian club Internacional. That came following a top place finish in the group stage ahead of River Plate.
Route to final: Just like City, Fluminense join at the semi-final stage. They will face one of Al Ahly, Al-Ittihad or Auckland City at that stage.
About Fluminense: Fluminense are widely regarded as one of the biggest clubs in Brazil and play their home games at the iconic 78,000-capacity Maracana in Rio de Janeiro. They are the oldest club in Rio, having been formed in 1902.
Since then, they have won four Brazilian national championships and 33 Campeonato Cariocas, which is just for teams in the state of Rio de Janeiro.
Their home kit colours are instantly recognisable throughout the world – playing in a deep garnet red, green and white.
The club holds rivalries with fellow Rio residents Botafogo, Vasco da Gama and Flamengo although their matches with Flamengo are mostly considered the greatest derbies in Brazilian football.
Manager: Fernando Diniz has been a manager since 2009 but is currently enjoying a major boom in his reputation due to his success with Fluminense. Alongside his responsibilities with Fluminense, he is interim head coach of the Brazil national team.
He has also previously taken charge of several of Brazil’s biggest clubs including Sao Paulo, Santos and Atletico Paranaense.
His tactics have drawn a lot of attention around the world, with many experts suggesting he avoids rigid positional play common in Europe.
Current squad: The stars of Fluminense’s squad are Brazilians who played in Europe during their peak years and have since returned to their homeland.
Felipe Melo, formerly of Juventus, Galatasaray and Inter, plays at centre-back while serial Champions League winner Marcelo is at left-back. Ganso, who had a spell with Sevilla, is the creative force in midfield.
Argentinian German Cano has an incredible goal to game record with Fluminense, scoring 81 times in 125 appearances at the time of writing.
Young midfielders Andre is the source of a lot of interest from European sides, while fellow midfielder Matheus Martinelli is vastly experienced despite being just 22.
Leon
Country: Mexico
Qualification: Winners of the 2023 CONCACAF Champions League. Leon are also first-time winners of the main prize on their continent, having defeated Los Angeles FC in the two-legged final at the end of May and start of June.
The Mexican side won 2-1 at home before claiming a 1-0 victory in the second leg in LA a few days later.
Route to final: Club Leon will face Urawa Red Diamonds in the second round for the right to play City in the semi-final.
They qualified for the final with knockout success against Panaman side Tauro, Haitian club Violette and fellow Mexicans Tigres.
About Leon: Club Leon were formed in 1944 in the major city of Leon in the centre of Mexico. They play at the Estadio Leon, which has a capacity of just over 27,000.
They have won the Primera División/Liga MX on eight occasions, making them the fifth most successful club in Mexican history, and lifted the nation’s cup competition five times.
They play in a distinctive green shirt and white shorts and have a rivalry with fellow Guanajuato club Irapuato.
Manager: Nicolas Larcamon took charge at Leon in November 2022 after leaving fellow Mexican side Puebla earlier that month.
Still only 39, the manager has been a coach in senior football since 2016 after seeing his playing career end at 22 due to a joint disease. After retiring from playing, he studied to be a PE teacher and then in architecture before taking up football full time.
Current squad: Leon’s squad is largely made up of Mexican talents, supplemented by quality additions from Colombia, Ecuador, Uruguay and Argentina.
Urawa Red Diamonds
Country: Japan
Qualification: Winners of the 2022 AFC Champions League. The 2022 AFC Champions League final was delayed from October 2022 until May 2023, meaning Urawa Red Diamonds could not feature in last year’s Club World Cup.
Urawa won their third title by beating defending champions Al-Hilal in the final in May across two legs in Riyadh and Saitama. The two sides played out a 1-1 draw in Saudi Arabia before Urawa won 1-0 in their homeland.
They qualified for the final by beating Korean club Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, Thailand’s BG Pathum United and Malaysian team Johor Darul Ta’zim.
Route to final: Urawa Red Diamonds will face Club Leon in the second round for the right to play City in the semi-final.
About Urawa Red Diamonds: Urawa Red Diamonds were formed in 1950 in Kobe by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. In 1965, they were part of the original eight to form the Japan Soccer League and were then also an original member of the J League for its inception in 1963.
They play at the 63,700-capacity Saitama Stadium 2002, built for the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea, just to the north of Tokyo.
The name alludes to the three red diamonds on Mitsubishi’s logo, one of which is part of the team’s current crest. They play in red, black and white.
Urawa Red Diamonds have won Japan’s league five times and the AFC Champions League on three occasions – in 2007, 2017 and 2022.
Manager: Maciej Skorza of Poland is Urawa Red Diamonds’ current boss, having taken over in November 2022 after Urawa Red Diamonds had reached the final of the 2022 AFC Champions League.
The 51-year-old was first appointed as a manager in 2004 and has been in charge of Polish giants Legia Warsaw, Wisla Krakow and Lech Poznan during his 19-year career as the boss. This is his first spell in Japanese football.
Current squad: Most of the Urawa Red Diamonds squad hail from Japan, including captain Hiroki Sakai, who has played 74 times for his country.
They are supplemented by two Dutch players, a Dane, a Norwegian and a Guinean.
