2023 FIFA Club World Cup

For the Club World Cup tournament of the 2022 season played in early 2023, see 2022 FIFA Club World Cup.

The 2023 FIFA Club World Cup (officially titled the FIFA Club World Cup Saudi Arabia 2023 presented by Visit Saudi for sponsorship purposes) was the 20th and final edition of the FIFA Club World Cup held under the previous format. Organised by FIFA, the tournament featured seven teams comprising the winners of each of the six continental confederations' top club competitions, along with the champions of the host nation's domestic league. It was held in Saudi Arabia from 12 to 22 December 2023.^[1]

2023 FIFA Club World Cup

FIFA Club World Cup Saudi Arabia 2023 presented by Visit Saudi كأس العالم للأندية لكرة القدم السعودية 2023
Tournament details
Host country	Saudi Arabia
Dates	12–22 December
Teams	7 (from 6 confederations)
Venue(s)	2 (in 1 host city)
Final positions
Champions	Manchester City (1st title)
Runners-up	Fluminense
Third place	Al Ahly
Fourth place	Urawa Red Diamonds
Tournament statistics
Matches played	7
Goals scored	23 (3.29 per match)
Attendance	246,888 (35,270 per match)
Top scorer(s)	Julián Alvarez (Manchester City) Karim Benzema (Al-Ittihad) Ali Maâloul (Al Ahly) 2 goals each
Best player(s)	Rodri (Manchester City)
Fair play award	Al-Ittihad
← 2022 2024 FIFA Intercontinental Cup → 2025 FIFA Club World Cup →

Real Madrid were the defending champions, but were not able to defend their title after being eliminated in the semi-finals of the 2022–23 UEFA Champions League by eventual winners Manchester City.^[2] The English team won the edition by beating the Brazilian team Fluminense 4–0 in the final, claiming its first title. This edition marked the conclusion of the Club World Cup's seven-team format, which had been in place since the competition's inception in 2000 (with the exception of 2001 when the tournament was cancelled). It was the last before the tournament's expansion to a 32-team event beginning with the 2025 edition.^[3]

Host appointment

Although an expanded, quadrennial Club World Cup was planned for 2025,^[4] FIFA confirmed on 13 February 2023 that a 2023 tournament would be held using the previous seven-team format.^[5] Earlier that month, UOL Esporte reported that Saudi Arabia were interested in hosting the 2023 and 2024 Club World Cup tournaments.^[6] On 14 February, the FIFA Council confirmed Saudi Arabia as the host for the 2023 tournament.^[7]

Qualified teams

Fluminense

Manchester City

Urawa Red Diamonds

Al Ahly

León

Auckland City

Al-Ittihad

Location of the teams participating in the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup.

Team	Confederation	Qualification	Qualified date	Participation
Entering in the semi-finals
Fluminense	CONMEBOL	Winners of the 2023 Copa Libertadores	4 November 2023	Debut
Manchester City	UEFA	Winners of the 2022–23 UEFA Champions League	10 June 2023	Debut
Entering in the second round
Urawa Red Diamonds	AFC	Winners of the 2022 AFC Champions League	26 February 2023[note 1]	3rd (Previous: 2007, 2017)
Al Ahly	CAF	Winners of the 2022–23 CAF Champions League	11 June 2023	9th (Previous: 2005, 2006, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2020, 2021, 2022)
León	CONCACAF	Winners of the 2023 CONCACAF Champions League	4 June 2023	Debut
Entering in the first round
Auckland City	OFC	Winners of the 2023 OFC Champions League	27 May 2023	11th (Previous: 2006, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2022)
Al-Ittihad	AFC (host)	Winners of the 2022–23 Saudi Pro League	27 May 2023	2nd (Previous: 2005)

Notes

1. Urawa Red Diamonds qualified on 26 February 2023 when Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal were confirmed as their opponents in the final. If a team from the host country had won the AFC Champions League, the runners-up of the AFC Champions League would have been invited in place of the host league winners. Urawa Red Diamonds won the AFC Champions League on 6 May 2023, confirming their second round entrance.

Venues

On 26 June 2023, FIFA and the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) confirmed that all matches in the tournament would be played in the city of Jeddah in two stadiums.^[8]

Jeddah Location of the host city of the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup.	Jeddah
	King Abdullah Sports City Stadium	Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium
	Capacity: 62,345	Capacity: 27,000

Match officials

On 3 November 2023, FIFA announced that five referees, ten assistant referees and eight video assistant referees were appointed for the tournament.^[9][10]

Confederation	Referees	Assistant referees	Video assistant referees
AFC	Mohammed Al-Hoish (Saudi Arabia)	Khalaf Al-Shammari (Saudi Arabia) Yasir Al-Sultan (Saudi Arabia)	Khamis Al-Marri (Qatar)
CAF	Jean-Jacques Ndala (DR Congo)	Elvis Noupue (Cameroon) Arsenio Maringule (Mozambique)	Adil Zourak (Morocco)
CONCACAF	Tori Penso (United States)	Brooke Mayo (United States) Kathryn Nesbitt (United States)	Tatiana Guzmán (Nicaragua)
CONMEBOL	Jesús Valenzuela (Venezuela)	Jorge Urrego (Venezuela) Tulio Moreno (Venezuela)	Juan Soto (Venezuela) Juan Lara (Chile)
UEFA	Szymon Marciniak (Poland)	Tomasz Listkiewicz (Poland) Adam Kupsik (Poland)	Tomasz Kwiatkowski (Poland) Alejandro Hernández Hernández (Spain) Ivan Bebek (Croatia)

One support referee was also named for the tournament.

Confederation	Support referee
OFC	Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh (New Zealand)

Squads

Main article: 2023 FIFA Club World Cup squads

Each team had to name a 23-man squad (three of whom had to be goalkeepers). Injury replacements were allowed until 24 hours before the team's first match.^[11]

Matches

If a match was tied after normal playing time:^[11]

• For elimination matches, extra time was played. If still tied after extra time, a penalty shoot-out was held to determine the winner.
• For the match for third place, no extra time would be played, and a penalty shoot-out would be held to determine the winner.

First round

Second round

Semi-finals

Final

15 December – Jeddah (PAAFS)

León

0

19 December – Jeddah (KASCS)

Urawa Red Diamonds

1

Urawa Red Diamonds

0

Manchester City

3

22 December – Jeddah (KASCS)

Manchester City

4

18 December – Jeddah (KASCS)

Fluminense

0

15 December – Jeddah (KASCS)

Fluminense

2

12 December – Jeddah (KASCS)

Al Ahly

3

Al Ahly

0

Match for third place

Al-Ittihad

3

Al-Ittihad

1

22 December – Jeddah (PAAFS)

Auckland City

0

Urawa Red Diamonds

2

Al Ahly

4

All times are local, AST (UTC+3).^[12]

First round

12 December 2023 (2023-12-12)

21:00

Al-Ittihad	3–0	Auckland City
Romarinho 29' Kanté 34' Benzema 40'	Report

King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, Jeddah

Attendance: 50,248

Referee: Tori Penso (United States)

Second round

15 December 2023 (2023-12-15)

17:30

León	0–1	Urawa Red Diamonds
	Report	Schalk 78'

Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium, Jeddah

Attendance: 2,525

Referee: Jean-Jacques Ndala (DR Congo)

---

15 December 2023 (2023-12-15)

21:00

Al Ahly	3–1	Al-Ittihad
Maâloul 21' (pen.) El Shahat 59' Ashour 62'	Report	Benzema 90+2'

King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, Jeddah

Attendance: 56,111

Referee: Jesús Valenzuela (Venezuela)

Semi-finals

18 December 2023 (2023-12-18)

21:00

Fluminense	2–0	Al Ahly
Arias 71' (pen.) Kennedy 90'	Report

King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, Jeddah

Attendance: 34,986

Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

---

19 December 2023 (2023-12-19)

21:00

Urawa Red Diamonds	0–3	Manchester City
	Report	Høibråten 45+1' (o.g.) Kovačić 52' Silva 59'

King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, Jeddah

Attendance: 40,127

Referee: Mohammed Al Hoish (Saudi Arabia)

Match for third place

22 December 2023 (2023-12-22)

17:30

Urawa Red Diamonds	2–4	Al Ahly
Kanté 43' Scholz 54' (pen.)	Report	Ibrahim 19' Tau 25' Koizumi 60'(o.g.) Maâloul 90+8'

Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium, Jeddah

Attendance: 10,290

Referee: Tori Penso (United States)

Final

Main article: 2023 FIFA Club World Cup final

22 December 2023 (2023-12-22)

21:00

Manchester City	4–0	Fluminense
Alvarez 1', 88' Nino 27' (o.g.) Foden 72'	Report

King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, Jeddah

Attendance: 52,601

Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

Goalscorers

Rank	Player	Team	Goals
1	Julián Alvarez	Manchester City	2
	Karim Benzema	Al-Ittihad
	Ali Maâloul	Al Ahly
4	Jhon Arias	Fluminense	1
	Emam Ashour	Al Ahly
	Bernardo Silva	Manchester City
	Hussein El Shahat	Al Ahly
	Phil Foden	Manchester City
	Yasser Ibrahim	Al Ahly
	José Kanté	Urawa Red Diamonds
	N'Golo Kanté	Al-Ittihad
	John Kennedy	Fluminense
	Mateo Kovačić	Manchester City
	Romarinho	Al-Ittihad
	Alex Schalk	Urawa Red Diamonds
	Alexander Scholz	Urawa Red Diamonds
	Percy Tau	Al Ahly

1 own goal

• Marius Høibråten (Urawa Red Diamonds, against Manchester City)
• Yoshio Koizumi (Urawa Red Diamonds, against Al Ahly)
• Nino (Fluminense, against Manchester City)

Awards

See also: FIFA Club World Cup awards

The following awards were given at the conclusion of the tournament. Rodri of Manchester City won the Golden Ball award.^[13]

Golden Ball	Silver Ball	Bronze Ball
Rodri (Manchester City)	Kyle Walker (Manchester City)	Jhon Arias (Fluminense)
FIFA Fair Play Award
Al-Ittihad

FIFA also named a man of the match for the best player in each game at the tournament.

Man of the Match

Match	Man of the match	Club	Opponent	Ref.
1	N'Golo Kanté	Al-Ittihad	Auckland City	[14]
2	Marwan Attia	Al Ahly	Al-Ittihad	[15]
3	Yoshio Koizumi	Urawa Red Diamonds	León	[16]
4	André	Fluminense	Al Ahly	[17]
5	Rodri	Manchester City	Urawa Red Diamonds	[18]
6	Emam Ashour	Al Ahly	Urawa Red Diamonds	[19]
7	Julián Alvarez	Manchester City	Fluminense	[20]

Sponsorship

Presenting Partner

• Visit Saudi

FIFA Partners

• Adidas
• Coca-Cola
• Qatar Airways
• Visa
• Wanda Group

Tournament Supporters

• Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Group
• Jahez
• Jeddah Central
• Jeddah Historic District
• Neom