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Saudi Arabia has been selected as the host nation for the 17th edition of the Club World Cup.
FIFA have named Saudi Arabia as the host country for the 2023 Club World Cup, which will take place in December.
The competition is set to be held from December 12th–22nd, and the competition's organisers, FIFA, have selected the Middle Eastern nation as the host of the 17th edition.
Saudi to host next Club World Cup
The FIFA council, which comprises all the member confederations of FIFA, made a unanimous decision today, February 14, selecting Saudi Arabia as the hosts for the next edition of the Club World Cup.
The competition in December would become the first major FIFA competition to be held in Saudi Arabia, and it would be another in a line of global sporting events that have been hosted by Saudi Arabia in recent years, as the country continues to increase its prominence in world sports.
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The decision to make Saudi Arabia hosts comes less than a week after another Saudi Arabian football milestone, when Al-Hilal became the first team from the country to play in the Club World Cup final, which they lost 5-3 to European giants Real Madrid.
The previous edition, completed only days ago and won by Real Madrid for a record fifth time, was hosted in another Arabic-speaking nation, Morocco, after the FIFA World Cup was hosted by Qatar.
'we truly believe in the power of sport to inspire our boys and girls' - Saudi sports minister
Saudi sport minister HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal, speaking after his nation was named host, shared that they were honored and excited to show the world that they can be world-class hosts.
Prince Abdulaziz explained that the reason Saudi Arabia has taken an interest in hosting global sporting events is that they believe sports have the ability to inspire young Saudi Arabians.
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“We are honored and extremely excited to be given the opportunity to welcome the world’s leading football clubs and their fans to Saudi Arabia," he said, per Beinsports.
“Many fans will have recently witnessed our ability as a nation to compete at the highest possible level on the pitch. Now we have the chance to prove we are also world-class hosts off it. We look forward to showcasing our genuine love of the game and our desire to be a force for good.
“Today is another important step forward on our journey of transformation in football and as a country and I trust all involved will see for themselves the undeniable progress being made at many different levels.
“We host international sports for the simple reason that we truly believe in the power of sport to inspire our boys and girls, to create new connections and build new relationships. This will mean so much to our people where 70% are under the age of 35 and are absolutely obsessed with football.”
Saudi Arabia have also placed a bid to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
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