FIFA Club World Cup: How to watch the 2023 semi-finals

  • Man City will feature in the FIFA Club World Cup for the first time in 2023
  • The Cityzens will take on Urawa Red Diamonds in the semi-final
  • Pep Guardiola's side will meet either Fluminense or Al Ahly should they make it to the final on 22 December
Man City will travel to the tournament for the first time
Man City will travel to the tournament for the first time / James Gill - Danehouse/GettyImages
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Manchester City prepare to compete in the FIFA Club World Cup for the first time this December and now know who their semi-final opponents will be for the tournament.

The European champions will travel to Saudi Arabia as they look to claim one of the few pieces of silverware they haven't yet got their hands on under Pep Guardiola.

The Club World Cup, which is set for a big revamp come 2025, has already got underway, with first and second-round matches having been played.

Here is how you can tune into the semi-finals of 2023's tournament.


How does the FIFA Club World Cup work?

FIFA Club World Cup Draw
FIFA's Club World Cup has existed in its current format since the start of the 21st century / Anadolu/GettyImages

A tournament made up of seven teams in its current format, the Club World Cup takes place every year in December. The knockout competition consists of the Champions League winners from all six continental federations and Al Ittihad, who joined the tournament this time round to represent the champions of host nation Saudi Arabia.

Auckland City were the Oceania Football Confederation's representatives but were dumped out after a 3-0 defeat to Al Ittihad in round one.

With numerous clubs entering at different stages of the tournament, there were two matches in round two, with Al Ittihad falling to a 3-1 defeat at the hands of African champions Al Ahly of Egypt. In the other game, it was Asian Champions League winners Urawa Diamonds of Japan who knocked out Mexican side Club Leon from CONCACAF with a 1-0 victory.

Man City and Copa Libertadores champions Fluminense only joined the competition at the one-legged semi-final stage and now know their opponents for the final four.

Of course, the Club World Cup is set to be expanded to a 32-team tournament come 2025 which will completely revolutionise the competition.


Fluminense vs Al Ahly

Germán Cano
Fluminense won the Copa Libertadores earlier this year / Eurasia Sport Images/GettyImages
  • Location: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
  • Stadium: King Abdullah Sports City
  • Date: Monday 18 December
  • Kick-off Time: 18:00 GMT / 13:00 ET / 10:00 PT
  • Referee: Szymon Marciniak (POL)
  • VAR: Tomasz Kwiatkowski (POL)

After defeating the host side Al Ittihad, African Champions League winners Al Ahly will now face a clash with Brazilian outfit Fluminense.

The South American side will undoubtedly head into the match as favourites as they aim to become only the fourth Brazilian club to win the tournament since its inception in 2000, with familiar household names within their ranks such as former Real Madrid man Marcelo and ex-Juventus midfielder Felipe Melo.

While Al Ahly could spring a surprise, they have never made it beyond the semi-final before, most recently finishing fourth in 2022 and third in 2021.


Country

TV channel / live stream

United Kingdom

TNT Sports 2, discovery+, discovery+ App

United States

Not available

Canada

Not available


Urawa Red Diamonds vs Man City

Manchester City v RB Leipzig: Group G - UEFA Champions League 2023/24
Man City will be strong favourites to lift the trophy / Crystal Pix/MB Media/GettyImages
  • Location: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
  • Stadium: King Abdullah Sports City
  • Date: Tuesday 19 October
  • Kick-off Time: 18:00 GMT / 13:00 ET / 10:00 PT
  • Referee: Mohammed Al Hoish (KSA)
  • VAR: TBC

Man City could take a step closer to a debut Club World Cup trophy on Tuesday when they face Asian Champions League winners Urawa Red Diamonds from Japan. The Cityzens will be heavy favourites to win this year's competition and would become the fourth English side to be crowned champions of the world alongside Manchester United (2008), Liverpool (2019) and Chelsea (2021).

Guardiola will be sweating on the fitness of Erling Haaland who has missed the European champions' last two Premier League matches, but City should realistically waltz to victory out in Jeddah.

Given that only UEFA and CONMEBOL sides have ever won the Club World Cup, Urawa Reds may not fancy their chances of pulling off a shock. Their best performance to date came in 2007 when they finished third.


Country

TV channel / live stream

United Kingdom

TNT Sports 2, discovery+, discovery+ App

United States

Not available

Canada

Not available


When is the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup final?

The winners of each one-legged semi-final will face one another in the gold medal match on Friday 22 December. The game will be broadcast on TNT Sports 2 for UK viewers, with the third-place play-off clash coming earlier the same day.


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