China to Host First Edition of Expanded FIFA Club World Cup in 2021

ABOUT US

CX Tech is Caixin Global's real-time tech news portal, featuring 24-hour news, short-form analysis, and roundups from business and tech media in China.

TRENDING: Apple Swerves $150 Levy on iPhones As U.S. and China Strike Trade Deal; Alibaba Co-Founder Steps Down From Board Affiliated to Chinese EV Maker; China Merchants Bank Executive Arrested in Connection to P2P Business

LATEST: Ping An’s OneConnect Expands U.S. IPO to Raise $312 Million; China Hits the Accelerator on Road Surveillance Equipment; Baidu Unveils Budget Touch-Screen Smart Speaker with Focus on Child Safety; Alibaba Co-Founder Steps Down From Board Affiliated to Chinese EV Maker; Samsung Invests Additional $8 Billion in Flash Memory Chip Production in China; Markets Applaud Talk of U.S.-China Trade Deal; Chinese Genome Sequencing Firm to Supply Tech to Abu Dhabi Personalized Health Care Project; Apple Swerves $150 Levy on iPhones As U.S. and China Strike Trade Deal; China Merchants Bank Executive Arrested in Connection to P2P Business; Hillhouse-Backed Genor Plans $200 Million Hong Kong IPO; GitHub Looks to Open Subsidiary in China; 5G Handsets Grow As Proportion Of China’s Sluggish Smartphone Market; China Executes Man Who Killed 3 Fearing Wife’s Forced Sterilization Under One-Child Policy; Agriculture Insurance Companies Take A Hit From African Swine Fever; Tencent-Backed News App Denies Explosive Fraud Allegations From U.S. Due-Diligence Firm; Defying Sentiment, WeWork’s China Rival Files for New York IPO; Electric Car Maker Nio Cuts 141 Jobs at North American Headquarters; Huawei Wins Telefonica Deal to Help Build German 5G Network; China Unveils First 3D Images From Newest Earth Observation Satellite; Tesla to Raise Prices in China Again, Sources Say

By Matthew Walsh / Oct 25, 2019 04:07 PM / World

Photo: VCG

FIFA, world soccer’s governing body, on Thursday awarded China the right to host the first edition of an expanded Club World Cup in 2021, in a move that experts say could pave the way for the country to host world soccer’s showpiece international tournament in the coming years.

The tournament, which currently features seven club teams drawn from six continental confederations in a straight knockout format, will be revamped to include 24 teams in a yet-to-be-decided participation model.

The decision has been construed in sports circles as a trial run for a potential China-hosted FIFA World Cup — the soccer world’s showpiece international event — sometime in the 2030s.

“The new FIFA World Cup for clubs will be a competition which every person who loves football looks forward to,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in an announcement of the decision. “It is the first real and true world cup for the best teams and clubs in the world.”

However, certain rights groups condemned the decision to award the competition to a country suspected of multiple rights violations, including against some of its ethnic minorities, something the Chinese government has consistently denied.

Contact reporter Matthew Walsh (matthewwalsh@caixin.com)

Share this article

Open WeChat and scan the QR code