FIFA Club World Cup Draw

I’ve always thought that the tournament featuring the top club teams from the 6 continental confederations has had a bit of a identity crisis. For one thing, the tournament has gone through a ton of names. As of today, it is being called the FIFA Club World Cup and as of today we know how the representatives from the various federations will line up in Toyko in December.

What we don’t know is who will be the representatives from Africa and Asia. Why they even bother having a draw when you don’t know the complete field is something I can’t understand, but the whole competition kind of baffles me.

I love the idea of seeing the best club teams square off and different styles of play from the various regions in the world. The Champions League, Copa Sudamericana and Asian Champions League are brilliant concepts in my opinion and you’d think that taking the winners from those competitions and putting them all together would be even better.

But then you see that Aukland City is one of the six teams in the tournament. No offense to Aukland City, but they wouldn’t even qualify for the Champions League or UEFA Cup. Another thing that limits the competition in my mind is the fact it is being played in Japan for the second straight year. Unless you live in Asia, this makes for some tough time zone television viewing. It would be better if the tournament rotated through the various confederations.

Even with its imperfections, I’ll still tune in. I’m a sucker that way. Below is the draw and schedule.

Dec. 10 – Aukland City vs. African Champion

Dec. 11 – Club America vs. Asian Champion

Dec. 13 – Internacional vs. Auckland City/African Champion

Dec. 14 – FC Barcelona vs. Club America/Asian Champion

Dec. 17 – Final

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Category: World Football