CLUB WORLD CUP
Al Ahly win six-goal thriller to grab Club World Cup bronze for the fourth time
A six-goal thriller saw African champions Al Ahly dramatically defeat Japan’s Urawa Reds 4-2 to secure the bronze medal at the Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia.
Once again that fighting determination of the Egyptian giants came to the fore to help them clinch bronze in the most dramatic fashion imaginable.
In an end-to-end playoff clash, goals from Yasser Ibrahim and Percy Tau put Ahly in control before Jose Kante’s curling strike brought Urawa back into it.
Alexander Scholz levelled from the penalty spot early in the second half after VAR adjudged Mohamed Hany handled in the box to put the Egyptian giants on the ropes.
But Hany remarkably went from villain to hero in the space of six minutes, firing Ahly back in front via a huge deflection off Yoshio Koizumi.
Ali Maaloul then wrapped up the bronze deep into stoppage time, curling home a delightful last-gasp free-kick to spark jubilant celebrations.
Having suffered semi-final heartbreak against Fluminense, Ahly looked doomed after Scholz’s penalty hauled Urawa level at 2-2.
But in a speedy contest befitting their rollercoaster run to the third-place playoff, the Egyptian side emerged triumphant.
After the despair of falling short in the semis, this is a sweet consolation for Ahly’s decorated veterans like Hany and Maaloul.
They can now return home with heads held high after a heroic comeback secured the club a record-extending fourth Club World Cup bronze medal.
-CAF
Lionel Messi and Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami were awarded a spot in next year’s 2025 FIFA Club World Cup on Saturday and will host the opening game of the 32-team tournament featuring top clubs from around the world.
Miami, who won their first MLS Supporters’ Shield this month as the club with the most points in the regular season, are the penultimate team added to the June 15-July 13 tournament being held around the United States.
“Congratulations on your wonderful 2024 Supporters’ Shield success. You have shown that in the United States, you are consistently the best club on the field of play,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a news release.
“Therefore, I am proud to announce that as one of the best clubs in the world, you are deserved participants in the new FIFA Club World Cup 2025 as the host club representing the United States.”
The United States were always set to have a host club in the tournament, but rather than award the spot to the winner of the Dec. 7 MLS Cup final, FIFA determined the Supporters’ Shield winner recognises consistent performance over a 34-game season.
FIFA announced Miami’s addition to the Club World Cup after they broke MLS’s regular-season points record with a 6-2 win over New England Revolution to reach 74 points. New England had set the previous record in 2021 with 73 points.
Messi made an instant impact when he joined Miami midseason last year, leading them to a Leagues Cup title, yet was unable to deliver enough magic to help his new club overcome their early season results and make the playoffs.
But in Messi’s first full MLS season, Miami wrapped up the Supporters’ Shield and top playoff seed in early October with two regular season matches remaining.
The Argentine great missed nearly half the 2024 season due to injuries and national team duties but made the most of his playing time with 20 goals in 19 games, including a hat trick during an 11-minute span late in the second half on Saturday.
The final Club World Cup team will be given to the winner of the Nov. 30 CONMEBOL Libertadores final in Buenos Aires.
Seattle Sounders are the only other MLS side in the Club World Cup after having earned their place by beating Mexican side Pumas in the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League final.
-Reuters
The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup final will be held at the New Jersey home of the NFL’s New York Giants and New York Jets, world soccer’s governing body announced on Saturday along with the venue lineup for the revamped tournament.
The expanded 32-team tournament, which will feature leading clubs from around the world, will be held in 12 stadiums around the United States next year from June 15-July 13.
The open-air stadium for the final, which opened in 2010 and has a capacity of 82,500, held the Copa America Centenario final in 2016 when Chile denied Lionel Messi’s Argentina for a second time in a penalty shootout.
The venue was also announced earlier this year as the site of the 2026 World Cup final.
The other venues, mostly a mix of NFL and Major League Soccer stadiums, are in Atlanta, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, Philadelphia, Seattle, Washington and two in Orlando.
The Club World Cup will have eight groups of four with the top two teams from each group advancing to the single-match knockout stage from the round of 16 to the final.
FIFPRO’s European member unions have started legal action against FIFA over the Club World Cup due to concerns over the impact of a crammed calendar on players’ health and performance.
-Reuters
Twelve stadiums have been announced as venues for the expanded Club World Cup holding in the United States next year. There will be 32 clubs in attendance – a far departure from the regular eight.
The tournament kicks off on Sunday, 15 June 2025, with all roads leading to the MetLife Stadium in New York.
The final match will be in New Jersey on Sunday, 13 July 2025, just over a year before the venue stages the FIFA World Cup 26 final.
This venue is joined by 11 more – Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta), Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte), TQL Stadium (Cincinnati), Rose Bowl Stadium (Los Angeles), Hard Rock Stadium (Miami), GEODIS Park (Nashville), Camping World Stadium (Orlando), Inter&Co Stadium (Orlando), Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia), Lumen Field (Seattle), and Audi Field (Washington, D.C.).
“The FIFA Club World Cup 2025 will feature 12 fantastic stadiums where a new chapter in football’s global history will be written by great players from the 32 best clubs in the world,” Infantino, the FIFA president stated.
“This new FIFA competition is the only true example in worldwide club football of real solidarity and inclusivity, allowing the best clubs from Africa, Asia, Central and North America and Oceania to play the powerhouses of Europe and South America in an incredible new World Cup which will impact enormously the growth of club football and talent globally.
“This is about opportunity and hope for those who need it most, and also about prestige and true football for those who make our sport shine.”
With the draw set for December, just two of the 32 teams are yet to be confirmed: one from South America, the other representing the host country.
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