Fourth title for Guardiola
Manchester City capped an outstanding season by winning the Club World Cup for the first time. In the final in Jeddah, coach Pep Guardiola’s team beat Fluminense from Rio de Janeiro 4-0 (2-0). The Premier League club won its fifth major title in 2023 thanks to goals from Julián Álvarez (1st/88th), Nino (27th/own goal) and Phil Foden (72nd).
Guardiola had previously won the Club World Cup with FC Barcelona in 2009 and 2011 and with FC Bayern in 2013. This makes him the first coach to win four Club World Cup titles. City midfielder Mateo Kovacic also achieved something historic: becoming the first player to win the competition with three different clubs. He triumphed with Real Madrid in 2016 and 2017 and with Chelsea in 2021.
The Cityzens, who not only won the Champions League this year but also won the English championship, the FA Cup and the European Super Cup, seamlessly continued their series of European victories at the Club World Cup with their triumph, which was never in danger. For the eleventh time in a row, the title went to a team from Europe. The series began after the 2012 final, which Corinthians São Paulo won 1-0 against Chelsea FC.
This year’s edition took 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.
The Club World Cup, which will not take place in 2024, will now have a completely new 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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