Fifa push back Club World Cup Qatar 2020 to February 2021

The tournament will still be played in Qatar but has been moved from its original dates in December

Jamie Gardner
Tuesday 17 November 2020 16:50 GMT
Comments
Liverpool are the club world champions
Liverpool are the club world champions (Getty)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Fifa has moved the Club World Cup to February next year after the coronavirus pandemic affected the conclusion of continental championships around the world.

The tournament will still be played in Qatar but has been moved from its original dates in December, Fifa announced.

"The FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2020, which was originally scheduled for December, has been subject to the disruptive effect of the pandemic on the confederations' continental club championships that serve as a pathway for the event," the world governing body said in a statement.

"The introduction of strict return-to-play protocols has facilitated a successful resumption of continental club championships, the last of which is now scheduled to conclude by the end of January 2021.

READ MORE: Premier League fixtures and table - all matches by date and kick-off time

"As a result, the FIFA Club World Cup 2020 will now be held from February 1 to 11, 2021, taking place in Qatar as per the original host appointment by the FIFA Council in June 2019."

Bayern Munich, who won the delayed 2020 Champions League in August, will be Europe's representatives in the competition.

Fifa also announced that its women's Under-20 and Under-17 2020 World Cups have been cancelled, having already been rescheduled until 2021.

Costa Rica will remain as hosts of the Under-20 tournament for 2022, with India hosting the Under-17 event in the same year, Fifa said.

PA

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in