FIFA move Club World Cup 2nd round after Auckland City withdraw

FIFA modified the Club World Cup calendar on Monday after the withdrawal of Auckland City from New Zealand because of the quarantine imposed on the country and brought the second round forward to the 4th February, although the final stays on the 11th of the same month.

In addition, the organisation indicated in a statement that finally no games will be played at the Jalifa International Stadium in Doha, where two matches were scheduled, without explaining the reasons for this change.

In this way, all the Club World Cup matches will be played at the Education City and Ahmad bin Ali stadiums, two of the venues for the 2022 World Cup, as well as the Jalifa international.

Initially, the competition, which had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was to begin on the 1st of next month with a play-off between the champion of the Oceanic confederation and the host country's Al Duhali, with the second round taking place on the 5th.