Club World Cup 2021 preview

The United Arab Emirates is getting ready to host the 2021 FIFA Club World Cup next month, with the tournament set to decide who is the world's best team. Which clubs are participating, who are the favourites, and what should bettors consider before making tournament predictions? Read on to find out.

Dates: February 3-12, 2022

Host: United Arab Emirates

Club World Cup 2021: Participating teams

Below is a list of the teams who have qualified for the Club World Cup, the confederation they come from, and the tournament round they will enter at:

Palmeiras - CONMEBOL - semi-finals
Chelsea - UEFA - semi-finals
Al Hilal - AFC - second round
Al Ahly - CAF - second round
Monterrey - CONCACAF - second round
AS Pirae - OFC - first round
AL Jazira - AFC - first round

How does the tournament work?

This year's tournament is scheduled to be the 18th edition of the FIFA Club World Cup. The event is contested between the winners of the six continental confederations and the host nation's league champions. Bayern Munich are the defending champions but, after being eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, they will not be able to defend their crown.

Al Jazira and AS Pirae will do battle in the first round, with the winner taking on AL Hilal in the second round. Elsewhere in the second round, Egyptian giants Al Ahly face Mexican outfit Monterrey, with the winner due to face Palmeiras in the semi-finals.

Chelsea will be waiting in the other semi-final, with the tournament coming to an end on February 12 at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

Schedule:

February 3 – Match 1: Al Jazira vs. AS Pirae (first round)
February 5 – Match 2: Al Ahly vs. Monterrey (second round)
February 6 – Match 3: Al Hilal vs. Winners of match 1 (second round)
February 8 – Match 4: Palmeiras vs. Winners of match 2 (semi-final)
February 9 – Match 5: Losers of match 2 vs. Losers of match 3 (fifth-place playoff)
February 9 – Match 6: Winners of match 3 vs. Chelsea (semi-final)
February 12 – Match 7: Losers of match 6 vs. Losers of match 4 (third-place playoff)
February 12 – Match 8: Winners of match 6 vs. Winners of match 4 (final)

Who will win the 2021 Club World Cup?

European teams have often gotten the better of their opponents during the last decade, with only Corinthians bucking that trend in 2012 (coincidentally, they beat Chelsea in the final that year). The likes of Inter Milan, Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich have all got their hands on the trophy in recent years.

"The difference in quality often means the opening games are high-scoring affairs"

Thomas Tuchel has several injury concerns at present, but his side are fighting on without Reece James, Andreas Christensen, and Ben Chilwell. Palmeiras will be no pushovers, having won the 2021 Copa Libertadores, and they are likely to reach the final alongside Chelsea.

The winners of the 2021 AFC Champions League, Al Hilal, will be out of their depth once they reach the business end of the tournament, as will Al Ahly, who are widely regarded as Africa's most successful team. AS Pirae and Al Jazira are sadly making up the numbers at the start of the tournament, and that should give punters something to think about.

The difference in quality often means the opening games are high-scoring affairs, with the first two games of the 2020 tournament featuring at least three goals each and in 2019, 12 goals were scored in the opening two matches. The final tends to be a low-scoring affair, which is no surprise considering it’s the best two teams who are left standing.

Chelsea should have too much class for Palmeiras should both teams reach the final, and in the build-up to the showpiece, expect some entertaining battles in the United Arab Emirates.

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