PARIS: FIFA has appointed Qatar as the host of the FIFA Club World Cup in 2019 and 2020 to function as test events for the next FIFA World Cup in 2022.
Following the approval of a revamped FIFA Club World Cup with 24 teams, the pilot edition of which will be played in 2021, the FIFA Council decided to award Qatar the right to host the next two editions of the tournament in its existing format in 2019 and 2020.
The upcoming editions of the seven-team competition will serve as valuable test events in the build-up to the FIFA World Cup 2022, even more so since their timing – usually around early December – corresponds with that of the next World Cup, allowing for testing under similar climatic conditions.
In regard to the pilot edition of the expanded Club World Cup in 2021, the FIFA administration will analyse and proactively approach potential hosts before making a recommendation at the next FIFA Council meeting, in Shanghai on 23 and 24 October.
"There is no doubt that the Club World Cup will be a very important test event for us," Hassan al-Thawadi, secretary general of Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy of Qatar, told reporters following the meeting.
The FIFA Council also approved amendments to the organisation's code of ethics, disciplinary code and regulations on the status and transfer of players.
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