2015 FIFA Club World Cup: Tournament News & Qualifiers [R]

Who will make it to Japan this year?



Tournament Winners & Statistics:

Intercontinental Cup

1960 Real Madrid (ESP)
1961 Peñarol (URU)
1962 Santos (BRA)
1963 Santos (BRA)
1964 Inter Milan (ITA)
1965 Inter Milan (ITA)
1966 Peñarol (URU)
1967 Racing Club (ARG)
1968 Estudiantes (ARG)
1969 AC Milan (ITA)
1970 Feyenoord (NED)
1971 Nacional (URU)
1972 Ajax Amsterdam (NED)
1973 Independiente (ARG)
1974 Atlético Madrid (ESP)
1975 No competition
1976 Bayern Munich (GER)
1977 Boca Juniors (ARG)
1978 No competition
1979 Olimpia (PAR)

Toyota Cup

1980 Nacional (URU)
1981 Flamengo (BRA)
1982 Peñarol (URU)
1983 Grêmio (BRA)
1984 Independiente (ARG)
1985 Juventus (ITA)
1986 River Plate (ARG)
1987 FC Porto (POR)
1988 Nacional (URU)
1989 AC Milan (ITA)
1990 AC Milan (ITA)
1991 Red Star Belgrade (SER)
1992 São Paulo (BRA)
1993 São Paulo (BRA)
1994 Vélez Sarsfield (ARG)
1995 Ajax Amsterdam (NED)
1996 Juventus (ITA)
1997 Borussia Dortmund (GER)
1998 Real Madrid (ESP)
1999 Manchester United (ENG)
2000 Boca Juniors (ARG)
2001 Bayern Munich (GER)
2002 Real Madrid (ESP)
2003 Boca Juniors (ARG)
2004 FC Porto (POR)
[Merger with Club World Cup*]

Club World Cup

2000 Corinthians (BRA)
2001 No competition
2002 No competition
2003 No competition
2004 No competition
[Merger with Toyota Cup*]
2005 São Paulo (BRA)
2006 Internacional (BRA)
2007 AC Milan (ITA)
2008 Manchester United (ENG)
2009 FC Barcelona (ESP)
2010 Inter Milan (ITA)
2011 FC Barcelona (ESP)
2012 Corinthians (BRA)
2013 Bayern Munich (GER)
2014 Real Madrid (ESP)

Clubs with Multiple Titles

4 - AC Milan (ITA)
4 - Real Madrid (ESP)
3 - Bayern Munich (GER)
3 - Boca Juniors (ARG)
3 - Inter Milan (ITA)
3 - Nacional (URU)
3 - Peñarol (URU)
3 - São Paulo (BRA)
2 - Ajax Amsterdam (NED)
2 - Corinthians (BRA)
2 - FC Barcelona (ESP)
2 - FC Porto (POR)
2 - Independiente (ARG)
2 - Juventus (ITA)
2 - Manchester United (ENG)
2 - Santos (BRA)

Titles by Association

10 - Brazil
9 - Argentina
9 - Italy
7 - Spain
6 - Uruguay
4 - Germany
3 - Netherlands
2 - England
2 - Portugal
1 - Paraguay
1 - Serbia

Titles by Confederation

28 - UEFA
26 - CONMEBOL

 

At present...

UEFA: Round-of-16
CONMEBOL: Not Started
CONCACAF: Quarter-finals
AFC: Not Started
CAF: Not Started
OFC: Group Stage
Host: Not Started

Japan is going back to the "two-stage" season format.

CONCACAF now have a title sponsor in Scotiabank. Maybe they can finally pay some decent prize money.

Now if FIFA would finally confirm Japan as host and state the exact format...

 

Nothing at the club football committee meeting:
http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/organisation/news/newsid=2506389/

Do we really have to wait until the ExCo meeting in March?

 

Auckland City's heroics last year have benefitted the whole ASB Premiership. About 50% of the FIFA prize money is always shared with the rest of the league. That is the reason the ASB Premiership vetoed a Wellington Phoenix participation in the OFC CL in the past with New Zealand Football.

Morocco 2014 also allowed Emiliano Tade to sign a professional contract back home in Argentina. Not bad after arriving in New Zealand as a pot-washer initially.

I will congratulate you if they avoid defeat to Auckland.

 

Not yet. I'm now thinking whatever decisions are left (format?) will be taken at the FIFA ExCo meeting in March.

On a separate note, after the positive hype around the ISL tournament, Indian football is back in reality. The AIFF's sole ACL representative Bengaluru FC has already crashed out of the competition in the very first preliminary hurdle. Courtesy of Malaysian champions Johor.

 

Last year they also had the group stage in Fiji but then switched to home & away for the semis and final.

Must be a cost-cutting move.

 

Team Wellington gave Auckland City a 4:0 beating in November before they left to Morocco. Unless I'm mistaken that's the highest league loss in Auckland history. Curious to see if they have what it takes to wrestle the OFC title away this year. As for Wellington Phoenix, they have entered a youth team into the ASB Premiership this season.

 

While we are still completely in the dark about this year's tournament (this really has been handled poorly) the knock-out stages are underway in UEFA and CONCACAF.

SCCL - Quarterfinals, First Leg:

Pachuca (Mexico) - Montreal (Canada) 2:2
Olimpia (Honduras) - Herediano (Costa Rica) 1:1
Saprissa (Costa Rica) - Club America (Mexico) 0:3
Alajuelense (Costa Rica) - DC United (USA) 5:2

Things are looking good for two of the three Costa Rican sides. Only Saprissa is hopelessly behind against tournament favorites America. Surprising draw by Montreal at Pachuca who now get to host the return leg in front of a big crowd. Last time Montreal hosted a quarterfinal against a Mexican club 55,000 showed up. Still a record in the "Champions League" era and potentially all-time (the Champions Cup admin records aren't the greatest)





The Group Stage in Asia has also begun. Wondering how Western Sydney Wanderers are doing? After 16 domestic matches in the current A-League season they have exactly one win and sit at the very bottom of the table with a measly 8 points. Did that impact their ACL campaign? Nope, they went to Japan this week and beat Kashima Antlers. For whatever reason they are simply more focused in their international games. Still, to think that this team was 3 minutes away from an encounter with Real Madrid last year...