FIFA have been forced to change the venue for the final of the upcoming Club World Cup due to the original stadium not being signed off. The tournament in the Qatari capital, Doha, starts this coming Wednesday.
FIFA Forced to Change Club World Cup Final Venue
Stadium Problems
Liverpool were one of the teams due to be playing at the Education City Stadium. Their semi-final on December 18, as well as the third-place play-off, will now be played at the Khalifa International Stadium, also in Doha.
The 40,000 capacity ground has finished construction, but it is yet to be signed off. It has not hosted any test events in the build-up to the competition and so will not be able to used.
The Khalifa International Stadium, meanwhile, is where the recent World Athletics Championships were held in September and October. It was already scheduled to host two games at the Club World Cup.
Who is Involved in the Club World Cup?
The first match of the Club World Cup sees Qatari side Al-Sadd Sports Club play Hienghene Sport, from the island of New Caledonia, about 750 miles east of Australia. They form the only first-round game, which will kick off at 5.30pm GMT on Wednesday, December 11.
Three days later, the pair of round-two matches will be played. Firstly, Saudi Arabian outfit Al Hilal go up against Tunisian side Esperance Sportive de Tunis. They play in the early game on December 14, kicking off at 2.00pm GMT. Then, at 5.30pm, Mexican team Monterrey go up against the winner of the round one match from Wednesday.
Liverpool’s first game of the competition will be in the semi-finals. They come into the tournament having won the UEFA Champions League in the 2018/19 season. They will find out who their opponents are upon the conclusion of the second round.
Liverpool’s Club World Cup Squad
Jurgen Klopp has named a strong squad for the Club World Cup, despite the Reds also needing to fulfil a Carabao Cup fixture against Aston Villa while they are away.
They will play a youth team against Villa, who will know that they can play without too much pressure. U23’s boss Neil Critchley will take charge of that match.
Liverpool squad: Alisson, Virgil van Dijk, Georginio Wijnaldum, Dejan Lovren, James Milner, Naby Keita, Roberto Firmino, Mohamed Salah, Joe Gomez, Adrian, Jordan Henderson, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Adam Lallana, Andy Lonergan, Xherdan Shaqiri, Rhian Brewster, Andy Robertson, Divock Origi, Curtis Jones, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Harvey Elliott, Neco Williams.
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