(PA)
Manchester City will be facing either Club Leon or Urawa Red Diamonds in the Club World Cup when Fifa’s tournament of champions takes place this December.
Pep Guardiola’s men have never featured in the competition before but qualified when they defeated Inter Milan in the Champions League final in Istanbul back in June. By winning the trophy and secuing their title as champions of Europe, City have automatically progressed to the semi-finals of the Club World Cup alongside the eventual winners of the Copa Libertadores.
City will be competing against the winners of the different federations’ Champions Leagues as well as the champions of the host nation Saudi Arabia which is Al-Ittihad. While it is not seen as a big deal in Europe, the Club World Cup is highly respected among clubs from other continents and Guardiola will want to add the trophy to the Blues’ already impressive haul.
Follow all the updates from the Club World Cup draw:
Club World Cup draw live
Manchester City learn who they’ll face in Fifa’s Club World Cup
The tournament will take place between Tuesday 12 December and Friday 22 December
Along with City, Al Ahly, Al Ittihad, Auckland City, Leon, and Urawa Red Diamonds have qualified for the competition
City will play either Leon or Urawa Red Diamonds on December 19
Club World Cup draw in full
Club World Cup draw
12:46 , Mike Jones
Here’s a nice graphic to show how the Club World Cup will play out:
Club World Cup draw
12:44 , Mike Jones
Whatever happens in the tournament it’ll be a quick trip to Saudi Arabia for Pep Guardiola’s men come December.
They take on either Mexico’s Club Leon or Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds in the second Club World Cup semi-final then will play in the final three days later should they progress.
City should be in the country for about five days in total if they go on to win the tournament but it’s an added complication to their already tight schedule.
Club World Cup draw
12:40 , Mike Jones
Yaya Toure hopes to see Manchester City in the Club World Cup final and said after the draw:
“With the Treble they will want one more again.
“I hope they are going to win and I want to see them in the final.”
Club World Cup draw
12:38 , Mike Jones
Here’s the draw in full including dates for each game:
First Round
Match 1: Al Ittihad vs Auckland City (12 December)
Second Round
Match 2: Al Ahly vs winner of Match 1 (15 December)
Match 3: Leon vs Urawa Red Diamonds (15 December)
Semi-finals
Match 4: Conmebol representatives vs Match 2 winners (18 December)
Match 5: Match 3 winners vs Manchester City (19 December)
Third place play-off
Match 4 losers vs Match 5 losers (22 December)
Final
Match 4 winners vs Match 5 winners (22 December)
Club World Cup draw
12:33 , Mike Jones
For the semi-final draw, the winners of Match 2 (Al Ahly or the winner of Al Ittihad vs Auckland City) will take on the Conmebol representative.
Manchester City, meanwhile, will play either Leon or Urawa Red Diamonds.
Club World Cup draw
12:32 , Mike Jones
First Round:
Al Ittihad vs Auckland City
Second Round:
Al Ahly vs winner of Al Ittihad vs Auckland City
Leon vs Urawa Red Diamonds
Club World Cup draw
12:31 , Mike Jones
Urawa Red Diamonds are pulled out next and go into Match 3 as team D. They’ll take on Leon.
That means the winners of Al Ittihad vs Auckland City will face Al Ahly in Match 2.
Club World Cup draw
12:30 , Mike Jones
Mexico’s Leon are drawn out next and they’re assigned team C meaning they will play in Match 3 or the second match of the second round.
Club World Cup draw
12:29 , Mike Jones
Al Ahly are the first team out of the pot to make their ninth appearance in the tournament. They are team A and will play in the first match of the second round.
Club World Cup draw
12:27 , Mike Jones
The second round fixtures are being draw from two pots. Four teams are being put in pot one, Al Ahly, Leon, Urawa Red Diamonds and the winners of the first round fixture between Al Ittihad and Auckland City.
In the second pot are letters A-D to determine which team will play where.
Club World Cup draw
12:24 , Mike Jones
Former Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure is in the house and will be helping to draw the balls to see who will play who.
Conmebol’s Copa Libertadores are still unknown as the final of that tournament is scheduled to take place on 4 November.
The winners will qualify for the Club World Cup’s semi-final stage.
Club World Cup draw
12:20 , Mike Jones
Fifa president Gianni Infantino has now taken to the stage to give a speech of his own before this draw of just seven teams is decided.
Club World Cup schedule
12:16 , Mike Jones
First round: Al Ittihad FC v Auckland City FC (12 December)
Second round: Match 2 -Team A vs Team B (15 December)
Match 3 – Team C vs Team D (15 December)
Semi-finals: Conmebol representative vs M2 or M3 winner (18 December)
M2 or M3 winner vs Manchester City FC (19 December)
Final: Semi-final 1 winner vs Semi-final 2 winner (22 December)
Club World Cup draw
12:10 , Mike Jones
The Saudi Arabian hosts begin by welcoming all the viewers to the draw before explaining how popular the sport is in the country
Karim Benzema is in the audience and will be playing for Al Ittihad during this tournament.
Club World Cup draw
12:07 , Mike Jones
The first round match will be played between Al Ittihad FC and Auckland City FC on 12th December.
Fifa Club World Cup 2023 participants
12:03 , Mike Jones
Afc Champions League 2022 winners: Urawa Reds, Japan
Caf Champions League 2022/2023 winners: Al Ahly FC, Egypt
Concacaf Champions League 2023 winners: Club León, Mexico
Conmebol Libertadores 2023 winners: TBD
Ofc Champions League 2023 winners: Auckland City FC, New Zealand
Uefa Champions League 2022/2023 winners: Manchester City FC, England
Hosts: Al Ittihad FC, Saudi Arabia
Club World Cup draw
11:59 , Mike Jones
Good afternoon and welcome to The Independent’s coverage of Fifa’s Club World Cup draw.
Manchester City will learn who they’ll face in Fifa’s tournament of champions later today as the draw takes place in Jeddah. The Fifa Club World Cup will continue as a seven-team tournament though it is scheduled to expand into a 32-team tournament in 2025.
The following teams have qualifed for this year’s tournament in Saudi Arabia:
Manchester City, Al Ahly, Al Ittihad, Auckland City, Leon, and Urawa Red Diamonds while the eventual winners of the Copa Libertadores will join the competition when they are known.
The draw is about to get underway so we’ll keep you informed of all the latest updates.
