Midnight draw will decide who Auckland City have to beat at FIFA Club World Cup

Auckland City will hope for good fortune on Black Friday when they learn their potential path to FIFA Club World Cup glory at midnight (January 13).

Noureddine Naybet. Credit: Aldar.ma الدار.

The draw for the prestigious tournament in Morocco will be made live on FIFA+, with legendary Moroccan international Noureddine Naybet (52) picking out the marbles that will dictate the tournament schedule.

Auckland City already know their opening game, as they meet Egyptian Premier League leaders Al Ahly in a sudden death fixture on February 1.

Naybet, a former defender for Tottenham Hotspur and Spanish club Deportivo Lar Coruña, will make the draw to decide whether the winners then meet Al Hilal, winners of the 2021 AFC Champions League, or Seattle Sounders, winners of the 2022 Concacaf Champions League.

The draw will then dictate the potential semi-finalists.

The draw will be held at the Mohammed VI Football Academy in Salé, Rabat, at noon (local time) which is midnight (NZT). The draw procedures can be downloaded here >>>>

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How to watch the draw

Click here to watch the draw streamed live from Rabat via the FIFA+ channel >>>>

Who will compete at the tournament

The seven clubs competing at the tournament are:

  • Wydad (MAR), winners of the CAF Champions League 2021-2022, will be making their second appearance in the competition, after UAE 2017.
  • Al Hilal (KSA), winners of the 2021 AFC Champions League, will be the first AFC representatives to feature in three editions of the FIFA Club World Cup™.
  • Al Ahly (EGY), runners-up of the CAF Champions League 2021-2022, hold the record for most FIFA Club World Cup matches played, with a total of 18 across their previous seven appearances. As CAF runners-up, Al Ahly were granted a spot in the competition when Morocco was appointed as the host country.
  • Seattle Sounders (USA), winners of the 2022 Concacaf Champions League and the first club from the USA to participate in the FIFA Club World Cup.
  • Flamengo (BRA), winners of the CONMEBOL Libertadores 2022, qualify for the FIFA Club World Cup after finishing runners-up to Liverpool at the FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2019™.
  • Auckland City (NZL), winners of the OFC Champions League 2022 for a record tenth time in 2022, have more FIFA Club World Cup appearances than any other club.
  • Real Madrid (ESP), winners of the UEFA Champions League 2021/22, is the most successful club in the history of the FIFA Club World Cup, having won four titles, including their maiden title victory in Morocco 2014.

New emblem revealed for tournament

The FIFA Club World Cup Morocco 2022™ official emblem has been unveiled.

Revealing the design, FIFA said: “With the competition returning to Morocco for the first time since 2014, the official emblem captures the prestige of reaching the pinnacle of global club football.

“It is inspired by the glittering trophy lifted annually by the best club team in the world.

“The solid golden pedestal symbolises the game’s unshakeable foundations, while the sleek, ink-blue curved bands reflect the trophy’s pillars, which depict the various continents represented at the tournament.

“The striking structure holds aloft a vivid golden football, epitomising the immortal glory that awaits the FIFA Club World Cup™ winners.”

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