Abu Dhabi: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) capital Abu Dhabi is set to host the Fifa Club World Cup for the fifth time in 2022, FIFA president Gianni Infantino announced on Wednesday.
The UAE capital hosted Club World Cup four times before in 2009, 2010, 2017 and 2018.
“The Club World Cup will be played in early 2022. Although no precise dates have been given yet, the host will be the United Arab Emirates,” Infantino said at a press conference following a FIFA council meeting.
The annual competition brings together the champions from the six world confederations and the winners of the host country’s league.
“We welcome fans to the Club World Cup with our traditional Arabic hospitality, state-of-the-art infrastructure and stadiums, with world-class travel and leisure facilities,” Khaleej Times quoted Aref Hamad Al Awani, general secretary of Abu Dhabi sports council.
Fans have been asked to follow the COVID-19 guidelines to ensure the safety of the event.
The Club World Cup usually takes place in December, but this is the second consecutive year that it has been postponed in the UAE. The 2020 edition was held in Qatar in February this year.
Japan was originally scheduled to host the tournament in December this year, but withdrew last month due to the COVID-19 situation in the country.