The matches of the Club World Cup 2023 in Saudi Arabia will be held in the port city of Jeddah. This was announced by the world football association FIFA after a visit by the delegation to the city on the Red Sea.
The tournament is scheduled to take place from December 12th to 22nd, 2023. According to the current format, seven clubs including the European Champions League winners play.
Saudi Arabia has been positioning itself as an organizer of major sporting events for years. Five-time world footballer Cristiano Ronaldo has been playing in the Saudi league since this year, and the country is also positioning itself to host the 2030 World Cup.
criticism because of human rights violations
“Sport is a key driver of Saudi Arabia’s ongoing transformation within the Vision 2030 plan, which has established the Kingdom as one of the fastest growing and most interesting countries for world sport.”, Saudi Arabian Football Confederation President Yasser Al Misehal said, according to a FIFA statement. Like its neighbor Qatar, Saudi Arabia has also been criticized for human rights violations.
From 2025, 32 teams will be playing at the Club World Cup. The field of participants should be made up as follows: Europe will receive twelve starting places, South America six, Asia, Africa and the combination of North and Central America and the Caribbean four each, Oceania one. The host country is also firmly involved. The hosts for the premiere are the USA, which will also host the World Cup together with Canada and Mexico the following year.