Club World Cup starts today. What you need to know about the tournament

On December 12, the first matches of the 2023 Club World Cup will be played. This year the tournament is hosted by Saudi Arabia, and all games will be held at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah.

The first match of the tournament will feature Saudi Arabia's Al-Ittihad and New Zealand's Auckland City. Let us remember that one of the best forwards in the world in recent years, Karim Benzema, plays in the first team.

The winner of the match between Al-Ittihad and Auckland City will advance to the quarter-finals of the tournament, where they will face Egyptian Al-Ahly. The second pair of quarterfinalists is already known. The Mexican Leon and the Japanese Urawa Red Diamonds will compete in it. Both meetings will take place on December 15th.

Brazil's Fluminense and England's Manchester City will take part in the semi-final stage of the Club World Cup. The matches with their participation will take place on December 18. The final and third place match are scheduled for December 22.

Let us recall that in 2022 the tournament was won by Real Madrid, which beat Al-Hilal in the final.