Sports
Source: BBC Sport
MANCHESTER City will face Urawa Red Diamonds in the semi-finals of the Fifa Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia.
The Japanese side beat Mexico’s Leon in Friday’s second-round game to set up a last-four tie against City on Tuesday.
Brazilian club Fluminense will play Al Ahly in the other semi-final on Monday after their 3-1 win over Al-Ittihad.
European champions City and Copa Libertadores winners Fluminense both qualified for the last four of the competition automatically.
It is the final edition of the competition in its current format after Fifa confirmed an expanded tournament featuring 32 teams will take place in 2025.
What’s the format?
The seeded tournament saw Al-Ittihad take on the winners of the 2023 OFC Champions League, Auckland, in the only game in the first round – with Saudi Pro League champions Al-Ittihad winning 3-0.
Al-Ittihad joined CAF champions Al Ahly, 2022 AFC champions Urawa Red Diamonds and Concacaf winners Leon in round two on Friday.
The winners of those matches advance to the semi-finals, at which stage Manchester City and Fluminese enter the tournament.
The semi-finals will be played on Monday and Tuesday, with the final and a third-place play-off scheduled for Friday, 22 December.
Saudi Arabia is using two stadiums, both in the city of Jeddah, to host seven fixtures over a 10-day period.
King Abdullah Sports City, which boasts a capacity of 62,345 – the home of Al-Ittihad – will host five fixtures, including the final, with two games set to take place at the 27,000-seater Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium.
Juventus and AC Milan met in the 2018 Supercoppa Italiana final at King Abdullah Sports City, while it has also hosted high-profile boxing events, including the rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua when the Ukrainian won by split decision to retain his WBA (Super), WBO and IBF heavyweight titles.
The smaller Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium will host Urawa Red Diamonds v Leon in the second round and the third-place play-off.
The last 10 editions of the Fifa Club World Cup have been won by European teams.
Since the competition started in 2000, 11 cubs have lifted the trophy with eight hailing from Europe and three from Brazil.
Brazilian rivals Corinthians and Vasco da Gama met in first final, with the former claiming victory via penalties after the match ended goalless. Corinthians also won the competition in 2012.
Sao Paulo (2005) and Internacional (2006) are the other two clubs from Brazil to have gone all the way.
Inter Milan were the first winners from Europe, beating Argentine outfit Boca Juniors 4-2 in an entertaining final in 2007.
Manchester United became the first English club to enjoy success when they overcame Ecuadorian outfit LDU Quito in 2008, while Liverpool and Chelsea were triumphant in 2019 and 2021 respectively.
Real Madrid ran out 5-3 winners against Al-Hilal in last year’s final.
Los Blancos have won the Fifa Club World Cup on five occasions – more than any other team, with Barcelona (3) next on the honours list.
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December 16, 2023 @ 10:46 GMT|
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