UAE named as new hosts for FIFA Club World Cup

FIFA have announced a new host country and vague timeframe for the postponed Club World Cup, where Chelsea will be looking to become world champions.

The Blues earned the right to compete at the traditional winter mini-tournament by lifting the Champions League back in May - beating Pep Guardiola's Manchester City side 1-0 in Porto.

The Club World Cup was due to be played in Japan from 9 to 19 December, but the nation had to withdraw from hosting duties amid high coronavirus cases there, forcing it to be postponed.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino announced on Wednesday that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will provide the venue instead, with South Africa also forced to withdraw amid their own COVID-19 issues.

There is no definitive start date for the tournament yet but it will be played in early 2022, and Chelsea are due to face Egyptian side Al Ahly and New Zealanders Auckland City, who are among the ten teams to have qualified.

Although Chelsea's Christmas fixture schedule will not be unaffected, January reverses against Liverpool, Tottenham and Man City could all be moved, potentially leading to a fixture pile-up at a later date.

The Africa Cup of Nations is also scheduled to get underway in Cameroon in early January, meaning Chelsea will be without Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy and Morocco attacker Hakim Ziyech, should the latter earn a recall.

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.