Draw lays out path to FIFA Club World Cup glory

Who plays who?
With UAE league champions Al Jazira and OFC Champions League winners Auckland City set to face each other in the opening game, the draw decided the second-round pairings, which will feature the winners of the tournament curtain-raiser, Mexico’s Pachuca and the CAF and AFC champions.

The draw also revealed who the second-round winners will face in the semis, when Real Madrid and the Copa Libertadores champions will join the competition.

Full Draw
CF Pachuca vs CAF Champions League winners

*The winners will play the Copa Libertadores champions in the semi-finals

Al Jazira/Auckland City vs AFC Champions League winners

*The winners will play Real Madrid in the semi-finals

An eagerly awaited event
Overseeing the draw was FIFA Event Manager Jaime Yarza, who was assisted by FIFA Legend Ivan Cordoba, Emirati icon Abdulrahim Jumaa, with Mikael Silvestre and Eric Abidal - also FIFA Legends - among those looking on.

Also taking part in the ceremony was Major General Mohammed Khalfan Al Rumaithi, the president of the tournament’s Local Organising Committee.

"We are honoured that UAE is once again hosting this world-renowned tournament," said Al Rumaithi.

"This tournament will be an extraordinary celebration of professional football and international talent, and will showcase the superb facilities and hospitality our country has to offer. We are looking forward to welcoming the teams this December."

The FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2017 will take place between December 6 and 16, and excitement levels are already rising in the host cities of Abu Dhabi and Al Ain and across the UAE as a whole as it prepares to host the tournament again, having already done so in 2009 and 2010.

The 2017 AFC Champions League is reaching its final stages, with Persepolis meeting Al Hilal in the return leg on October 17, while Shanghai SIPG travel to Saitama to face Urawa Red Diamonds for the second leg on October 18. 

Sources: FIFA.com