The organising committee of the FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2020 affirmed full readiness to host the matches of the 17th edition of the Championship, which will be held at Ahmed Bin Ali and Education City stadiums from February 4-11, with the participation of six clubs.
At a press conference held today, the organizing committee revealed the health protocol that will be applied during the World Cup period.
Director of Communication Department at the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy Fatima Al Nuaimi said that this year's FIFA Club World Cup, which Qatar is hosting for the second time in a row, will differ greatly from last year's edition due to the precautionary and health measures.
In a speech at the press conference, Al Nuaimi said that the organizing committee, in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, will implement a comprehensive health protocol during the tournament, pointing out that there are precautionary measures applied in the process of selling and buying tickets and the attendance of the fans in the stadium.
Tickets will be offered starting from Sunday (January 24), on the FIFA's website, she pointed out.
Under the precautionary measures in place, press conferences of the FIFA Club World Cup either before or after the matches will be held via video conference, Al Nuaimi said, noting that the tournament will not witness accompanying events for the fans, as is the case in major sporting events organized by the State of Qatar.
For his part, head of the operations and facilities committee of the FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2020 Jassim Al Jassim said that hosting the FIFA Club World Cup for the second year in a row is an opportunity to test the World Cup stadiums, indicating that 90% of the trial operations that will be carried out in the FIFA Club World Cup 2020 will be implemented in the World Cup 2022.
Al Jassim said that the standards for organizing the FIFA Clubs World Cup this year are different from last year in light of the Coronavirus crisis and the precautionary measures taken by the Ministry of Health, pointing out that the success of the health protocol implemented in the Asian Champions League and HH the Amir Cup, encouraged FIFA to use it in the FIFA Club World Cup with the presence of the fans.
He added that the FIFA Club World Cup will be an opportunity for the participating players to experience the stadiums and facilities of the World Cup, especially that the tournament will be held at Ahmed Bin Ali and Education City stadiums, which are among the eight stadiums designated for the World Cup 2022.
Al Jassim stressed that the Ahmed bin Ali stadium is 100% ready to host the FIFA Club World Cup matches, noting that the exclusion of the Khalifa International stadium from hosting the matches was taken after the shortening of the tournament period following the withdrawal of the New Zealand Auckland City team, and as the Khalifa International stadium was greatly tested in the FIFA Club World Cup in 2019.
Six clubs will compete at the FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2020, including Al Duhail SC, FC Bayern Munchen, Egyptian Al Ahly SC, Tigres UANL and Ulsan Hyundai FC.
The Tigres-Ulsan winners will move on to play the Copa Libertadores champions — Palmeiras and Santos will contest the final on 30 January — in the semi-finals.
