2018 FIFA Club World Cup: Tournament News & Qualifiers [R]

Just gut feeling really. Personally I wouldn't mind watching Liverpool and former Swiss Super League player Mohamed Salah in Abu Dhabi (I'm sure the many Egyptian expats in the UAE feel the same).

 

Will this ever end... pic.twitter.com/h3yLxc47Dg

— BMO Field Grounds Team (@BMOGrounds) April 15, 2018

First leg of the CONCACAF final in Toronto tonight. A city still very much stuck in winter.

 

Hats off to Chivas for taking control of this series in weather conditions that clearly favored Toronto.



PS: Does the CCL have a new trophy? No longer the ball with the Dracula collar?

 

In the AFC the group stage concluded today and the Round-of-16 is set.

- China, South Korea and Iran have three clubs remaining.
- Not a single Australian team survived the group stage.
- Thailand's Buriram United are back in the elimination rounds for the first time since 2013.
- Japan's hopes of a repeat are resting on Kashima's shoulders.
- Storied Saudi club Al Hilal crashed out in the group stage.

No Saudi-Iran pairing means no neutral venue in the R16!

 

The 13th League Title 🏆 @alainfcae are 2017-2018 Arabian Gulf League Champions! #alainclub pic.twitter.com/W4RUARiy3G

— Al Ain FC (@alainfcae_en) April 21, 2018

Al Ain, the UAE’s most successful club, has provisionally qualified. The only thing that could undo this qualification is a AFC CL victory by domestic rivals (and 2017 CWC participants) Al Jazira.

 

Not to mention Al Ain can still win the AFC CL themselves and move into the quarterfinals.

OFC Semis - First Leg

Lautoka (Fiji) - Marist (Solomon Islands) 1:1
Team Wellington (NZL) - Auckland City (NZL) 0:0

 

Full view of David Farrington Park, Team Welly's home ground:

 

CONCACAF had an all-Costa Rica final in 2004. The AFC had an all-Korean final in 2002.

 

The UEFA semis start tonight. Mo Salah against his old club.

Tomorrow Wednesday is the CONCACAF conclusion. We will either get a 34 on top or a 1 at the bottom:

Code:

Countrywise list of winners
Mexico                   33

Costa Rica                6

El Salvador               3

Guatemala                 2
Haiti                     2
Honduras                  2
Surinam                   2
Trinidad and Tobago       2
USA                       2

 

Congrats to Chivas on their first international title since the (inaugural) 1962 CONCACAF Champions Cup. They have now won the first and the last.

 

🇲🇽 ✈️ 🇦🇪

Las @Chivas serán las representantes de CONCACAF
en la #ClubWC de 2018. pic.twitter.com/fbzGLk6CoU

— FIFA (Español) (@fifacom_es) April 26, 2018

Guess we already know which club will have the least amount of foreigners on its roster at UAE 2018. Chivas employs a "Mexico only" policy. While Mexico extended its (world record) winning streak to 13 this does set up a very interesting 2019 CCL. Toronto got very close and had an impressive run.

PS: The CCL is back on TV in the MENA region on BeIn Sports. At least the final was.

In UEFA the first legs of the semis were played this week:

Liverpool - Roma 5:2
Bayern Munich - Real Madrid 1:2

Roma kept themselves in the series with two late goals and Real continue to give Bayern nightmares.

 

Any change in your travel situation to the UAE? Are you coming over in December?

I may be looking at the reverse scenario if Qatar gets the 2019 and 2020 CWC (to compensate for the Confederations Cup)