Good day everyone,

I hope you are all well and enjoyed the week. Welcome to Cryptogod-1's blog on all things sport. Today I will be doing a write up on the FIFA Club World Cup, outlining what it is, what teams are involved, and how the current edition has gone so far.

What Is the FIFA Club World Cup

The FIFA Club World Cup is a competition organised by FIFA and held every year as part of the men's football association. First established and contested in the year 2000, the competition did not resume again until the year 2005. There were a number of factors as to why the competition was not held between 2001 - 2004, but it was largely down to the collapse of FIFA's marketing partner International Sport and Leisure (ISL). The tournament has been held in countries around the globe, including Brazil, Japan, the UAE, Morocco, and Qatar. While not regarded as an important competition in most countries, European clubs especially hold little regard for it, while South American teams surround it with heated debate and controversy. 

The Intercontinental Cup, a competition played out by the winners of the Copa Libertadores and the UEFA Champions League, was the original showpiece, but was merged with the FIFA Club World Cup. The champions of the Club World Cup receive the FIFA Club World Cup trophy and a FIFA World Champions certificate. The winners are also allowed to wear a crest on their shirts for the following calendar year, showing they are the current club champions of the world.

Qualification & Format

The tournament involves seven teams, who compete for the trophy over a period of around two weeks. The teams who qualify are the current holders of:

• UEFA Champions League - Europe
• AFC Champions League - Asia
• CAF Champions League - Africa
• CONCACAF Champions League - North America
• Copa Libertadores - South America
• OFC Champions League - Oceania
• The host nation's national champions

The format is played out in different stages, with higher ranked teams not entering until the later rounds.

1st Round - Host Nation Champions vs OFC Champions League winner

2nd Round / Quarter Finals - Winner of First Round along with the champions of Asia, Africa and North America.

Semi Finals - Winners of Quarter Finals play the European and South American champions

Final - Winner of the Semi Finals

The tournament is set up so the European and South American champions cannot face each other until the final, and it is often the case that these two teams meet in the final. A 5th place play off and a third place play off are also played out within the tournament, ensure by the end of the competition every team is assigned a finishing place between 1st and 7th.

Previous Winners

2000 - Sport Club Corinthians Paulista

2005 - Sao Paulo

2006 - Internacional

2007 - AC Milan

2008 - Manchester United

2009 - Barcelona

2010 - Inter Milan

2011 - Barcelona

2012 - Sport Club Corinthians Paulista

2013 - Bayern Munich

2014 - Real Madrid

2015 - Barcelona

2016 - Real Madrid

2017 - Real Madrid

2018 - Real Madrid

2019 - Liverpool

2020 - Bayern Munich

2021 - Tournament Currently Being Played Out

Real Madrid have won the tournament the most times, recording 4 victories, while Spain has had 7 winners over the years. In 2000, when Sport Club Corinthians Paulista won the tournament, it was the only time a winner of the host nations league went on the win the tournament.

2022 Results So Far

Below are the result of the competition so far, with the 7th, 6th, and 5th placed teams already decided. The host nation for the tournament this year is the UAE.

Have a great day, I will have an update after the Final, which is due to be played between Palmeiras (South American) and Chelsea (European) on the 12th of February 2022.

Peace. CryptoGod-1.

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