Club World Cup pathway revealed
ZURICH, Switzerland - Auckland City FC face a rematch with Al Jazira at next year's FIFA Club World Cup in UAE after their pathway was revealed in Zurich this morning.
The two clubs met at the playoff stage four years ago in Al Ain with a long range Romarinho strike deciding the tie after City laid seige to the hosts.
Palmeiras, Chelsea, Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal, Egypt's Al Ahly and Mexico's Monterrey round off the seven participants at a tournament originally scheduled to be held in Japan in December.
The winner of the playoff match between the Navy Blues and Al Jazira on February 3 goes on to meet Al Hilal, beyond that game lies a semifinal clash with English giants Chelsea.
Club chairperson Ivan Vuksich said: "The circumstances of our qualification have to be brought into perspective - we've been nominated by Oceania Football Confederation thanks to the cooperation of its member associations, clubs and council, so its important we show both humility and a sense of responsibility in everything we do related to this competition and our presence in it.
Join us LIVE for the FIFA #ClubWC Draw. @AlAhly @Alhilal_FC @aljazirafc @AucklandCity_FC @ChelseaFC @Palmeiras @Rayados will learn their fate from 17:00 CET.
— FIFA.com (@FIFAcom) November 29, 2021
The tournament will be played in Abu Dhabi from 3-12 February 2022. https://t.co/wsd2TKcIVB
"The pandemic has smashed the football calendar in Oceania with no international football taking place at age-group of club level since 2019-20. Domestic football has been interrupted and, of course, the OFC Champions League has been cancelled twice.
"I want to express our gratitude as a club to everyone involved in that decision making process whether we get to the UAE or not. This is a highly complex, volatile and dynamic environment which makes logistical planning difficult for everyone.
"This is a changing situation and there are no solid guarantees in a global pandemic where uncertainty prevails. It's important to keep pushing hard to ensure that we can first attend the event safely, then compete meaningfully and uphold and improve the reputation of football in Oceania and the club scene in New Zealand."
Ends
الجزيرة أوكلاند سيتي | 3 فبراير 2022
— نادي الجزيرة (@aljazirafc) November 29, 2021
مرحباً بكم في أبو ظبي #كأس_العالم_للأندية #فخر_أبوظبي pic.twitter.com/WX5ZPU7lcm
FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2021
Match 1 - Playoff
Thursday 3 February, 2022 - 20h30 local
Al Jazira v Auckland City FC
Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium
Match 2 - 1/4 Final 1
Saturday 5 February, 2022 - 20h30 local
Al Ahly v Monterrey
Al Nahayan Stadium
Match 3 - 1/4 Final 2
Sunday 6 February, 2022 - 20h30 local
Al Hilal v Al Jazira/Auckland City FC
Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium
Match 4 - Semifinal 1
Tuesday 8 February, 2022 - 20h30 local
Palmeiras v Winner Match 2
Al Nahayan Stadium
Match 5 - 5th Place Playoff
Wednesday 9 February, 2022 - 17h00 local
Loser Match 2 v Loser Match 3
Al Nahayan Stadium
Match 6 - Semifinal 2
Wednesday 9 February, 2022 - 20h30 local
Winner Match 3 v Chelsea
Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium
Match 7 - 3rd Place Playoff
Saturday 12 February, 2022 - 17h00 local
Loser Match 4 v Loser Match 6
Al Nahayan Stadium
Match 8 - Final
Saturday 12 February, 2022 - 20h30 local
Winner Match 4 v Winner Match 5
Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium
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Table
| Position | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | AC | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 9 |
| 2 |  | BO | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 3 |  | TC | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 3 |
| 4 |  | AF | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 5 |  | AU | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 6 |  | BU | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 7 |  | EB | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 |  | FU | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 9 |  | WS | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 |  | ES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 11 |  | MN | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 12 |  | WR | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 0 |
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