Meet Arias & Kennedy
Fluminense Rio de Janeiro has been confirmed as the first finalist of this year’s Club World Cup. The traditional Brazilian club won its semi-final on Monday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, 2-0 (0-0) against El Ahly Cairo from Egypt. Jhon Arias (71st) scored the 1-0 with a converted penalty kick, the penalty was taken by long-time Real Madrid professional Marcelo. John Kennedy (90th) marked the final score. For Marcelo, the duel for the title is his fifth appearance in a Club World Cup final. He has won every time with Real Madrid. Only Toni Kroos has made more than five appearances in the finals and won the title in the competition.
In the final on December 22nd, Fluminense could face Champions League winners Manchester City, who first have to win their semi-final this Tuesday against Japanese club Urawa Red Diamonds. The Premier League club with star coach Pep Guardiola, like Fluminense, automatically qualified for the semi-finals as winners of the South American Champions League counterpart Copa Libertadores.
The tournament is taking place in Saudi Arabia for the first time. The country, which has been criticized for human rights violations, has been positioning itself as a host of major sporting events for years. It has recently invested a lot of money, especially in professional football, and brought superstars like Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar into the domestic league. It is considered certain that Saudi Arabia will be awarded the 2034 World Cup.
It is the last edition of the Club World Cup in the current format. For 2025, the world association FIFA is planning a tournament from June 15th to July 13th in the USA with 63 games in total and seven games for the finalists. The German record champions FC Bayern Munich have already certainly qualified for this due to their good Champions League results.
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