FIFA set to postpone Club World Cup until 2022
By Sean Walsh
Chelsea's aspirations of becoming Club World champions may have to wait with FIFA expected to push back the date of the tournament.
Initial hosts Japan have had to withdraw their participation because of the state of the coronavirus pandemic in the country.
The Club World Cup is currently set to run from December 9 to 19, but the Daily Mirror report that FIFA are expected to delay the tournament until the start of 2022.
Chelsea were due to miss several Premier League games in December to take part in the Club World Cup, though these are expected to proceed without delay because of the postponement.
World football's governing body will decide on an alternative host at a Council meeting on October 20.
South Africa and Qatar have expressed an interest in hosting the tournament, while Brazil have dropped out of the running after initially putting their name forward as a potential host.
The Club World Cup remains the only major honour that Chelsea have not won. After winning the Champions League for the first time in 2012, they were beaten by Corinthians in the Club World Cup final.
Liverpool are the most recent English side to have won the competition, triumphing in 2019. The Reds needed extra-time to see off Brazilian outfit Flamengo in the final after scraping through the semi-finals.
Bayern Munich are the current holders of the Club World Cup. They beat Mexican side Tigres in front of a limited-capacity crowd in Qatar back in February.