When it comes to sports, I’m all about the extras that come along with it. With that in mind, it’s time for another FIFA Club World Cup. This tossed-in competition allows for more soccer, which is always a good thing. The 2006 tournament will be played, as usual, in Japan at the famous Yokohama International Stadium.
You may be asking yourself, “What the hell is this?” The Club World Cup takes the winners of every major league winner in club soccer. For instance, it takes the league winners from the UEFA (Europe) Champions League, the AFC (Asian Football Conference) Champions League, the CAF (Confederation of Africa Football) Champions League, the CONCACAF (North America and the Caribbean) Champions’ Cup, the CONMEBOL (South America) Copa Libertadores, and the OFC (Oceania) Champions League.
The 2006 FIFA Club World Cup will see Barcelona (UEFA), Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC (AFC), Ahly Sporting Club (CAF), Club Am?rica (CONCACAF), Sport Club Internacional (CONMEBOL), and Auckland City FC(OFC) all take part.
The format of the tournament is really simple. 2 clubs have a bye and the other 4 clubs play first round matches. Barcelona and Sport Club Internacional received the first round byes. Once the play in matches have been decided, the 2 winners will get matched up against a team who had a bye. The winners of those games will then play in the final.
This past Sunday saw Ahly Sporting Club from Egypt defeat New Zealand side Auckland City FC 2-0. Ahly Sporting Club will now square off against Sport Club Internacional of Brazil on Wednesday. Club Am?rica from Mexico beat Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC 1-0 on Monday to set up a matchup against Barcelona on Thursday. The winners of the Wednesday and Thursday matches will compete in the tournament’s final on Sunday.
The tournament only lasts 1 week, but some of these teams such as Barcelona, are missing out on domestic matches in their country. Their matches will be made up at a later point in the season.
Many people around the world do not like the tournament, as they say it interferes with domestic and other major club competitions. While it does get in the way, but it’s still a prestigious tournament involving a large variety of teams. These clubs are to busy preparing for league competition at the end of the summer and they can’t really do it at another time. The FIFA Club World Cup is something that many fans around the world want to see. I always wondered what a team from Africa could do against a team from Europe or a team from Asia against a team from North America. The tournament is fun to watch and I hope it continues to grow.
