The seven-team lineup for the rescheduled 2021 tournament
was completed Saturday when Palmeiras won the Copa Libertadores.
Chelsea, which won the Champions League, and Palmeiras will
enter at the semifinal stage and then go on to play either in the final or in
the third-place game.
Premier League leader Chelsea is currently scheduled to play
at Brighton on Feb. 8 and host Arsenal on Feb. 12. Those games will now have to
be rescheduled.
In the semifinals, Chelsea will face one of three possible
opponents: Oceania champion Auckland City, UAE champion Al Jazira or Asian
champion Al Hilal. Auckland City will play Al Jazira in a preliminary round,
with the winner advancing to play Al Hilal.
Palmeiras was drawn to face either African champion Al Ahly
or CONCACAF Champions League winner Monterrey.
The coronavirus pandemic has twice altered plans for this
year’s Club World Cup. It was originally scheduled to be the inaugural expanded
edition in China in June and July. That launch was shelved by FIFA when the
2020 editions of the European Championship and Copa America were put back one
year.
A traditional seven-team Club World Cup was to be hosted in
December by Japan, which withdrew three months ago citing likely travel
restrictions amid the pandemic. -AP
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