FIFA Club World Cup schedule, bracket, results & highlights as Chelsea seeks first intercontinental trophy

Continental champions from around the globe competed for the FIFA Club World Cup, with the 2022 edition held in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

Chelsea, fresh off its Champions League conquest last May, won the tournament as the European representative after reaching the summit of the UEFA continental competition. The Blues beat South American champion Palmeiras courtesy of an extra-time penalty kick.

This year’s competition was officially branded as the “2021 Club World Cup” even though it took place in 2022, since it was originally scheduled for June and July of last year.

MORE: How Chelsea won the FIFA Club World Cup final

The competition was meant to be an expanded edition, to take place in China, but was pushed back and moved due to fixture congestion stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. It was initially moved to the fall and set to take place in Japan, but Japan dropped that commitment in September, leaving FIFA to re-open bidding and select the UAE.

FIFA Club World Cup Format

The Club World Cup was first established in 2000 as a way of determining the top club team in the world, taking continental champions from the previous season and gathering them together in a competitive knockout tournament format.

The competition is now in its 18th edition, having been held every year since 2005 and hosted by a variety of nations around the world.

Seven teams came together for a modified knockout tournament, with the bracket preconfigured to ensure the high-profile clubs from Europe and South America only play a maximum of two matches in the tournament and do not meet until a potential final.

The UEFA Champions League (Europe) and Copa Libertadores (South America) title winners are given byes to the semifinals, while three clubs from Asia, Africa, and North America were slotted into the second round. Two more clubs, from Oceania and the host nation (UAE), were given entry in the first round which essentially represents a play-in match.

While there were plans for an expanded edition of the tournament in 2022, the COVID-19 pandemic forced FIFA to revert to the traditional format for this year’s tournament.

Which teams are in 2022 FIFA Club World Cup?

Outside of the team representing the host nation, the other six teams qualified as continental champions from their respective confederation.

In 2022 the host nation representative was the reigning champion from the domestic league (Al-Jazira). And since the Oceania confederation was forced to cancel its Champions League tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it nominated its representative (AS Pirae) instead of using a qualifying competition.

While it was predetermined where each team entered into the competition, a draw was still necessary to determine on which side of the bracket the seeded teams (Chelsea and Palmeiras) would fall. That draw took place on November 29 involving the complete field of teams below:

Club
Confederation
How Qualified
Appearances
(Last)
Entered Into

Chelsea (England)
Europe
2020-21 UEFA Champions League
2nd (2012)
Semifinals

Palmeiras (Brazil)
South America
2020-21 CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores
2nd (2020)
Semifinals

Al Hilal (S. Arabia)
Asia
2020-21 AFC Champions League
2nd (2019)
2nd Round

Al Ahly (Egypt)
Africa
2020-21 CAF Champions League
7th (2020)
2nd Round

Monterrey (Mexico)
North America
2020-21 CONCACAF Champions League
5th (2019)
2nd Round

Al-Jazira (UAE)
Asia (hosts)
2020-21 UAE Pro League champions
2nd (2017)
1st Round

AS Pirae (Tahiti)
Oceania
Nominated by OFC
1st (First app.)
1st Round

How to Watch 2022 FIFA Club World Cup in USA

• Dates: Feb. 3, 2022 – Feb. 12, 2022
• Times (ET): 8 a.m., 8:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m.
• TV Channels: FS1, FS2
• Spanish-language TV: Fox Deportes
• Streaming: fuboTV, Fox Sports Live

The 2022 FIFA Club World Cup will be broadcast in the USA on FS1, FS2 (English) and Fox Deportes (Spanish).

Those channels are available to stream fuboTV which is available to new users on a free trial.

2022 FIFA Club World Cup Schedule & TV

The Club World Cup began Thursday, February 3 with the opening round matchup, as host representative Al-Jazira topped OFC’s AS Pirae from Tahiti. Al-Jazira got goals from four different scorers, including Mali international Abdoulay Diaby, who formerly starred for teams in Europe.

Date
Round
Match
 

Thursday, Feb. 3
1st Round
Al Jazira 4, AS Pirae 1
Highlights

Second Round

The second round saw Liga MX side Monterrey succumb to Egyptian club Al Ahly.

With Egypt progressing through to the final of the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations, Al Ahly had a seriously weakened side, missing players such as goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy and attacker Mohamed Sherif, who were with the national team.

Date
Round
Match
 

Sat, Feb. 5
2nd Round
Al Ahly 1, Monterrey 0
Highlights

Sun, Feb. 6
2nd Round
Al Hilal 6, Al Jazira 1
Highlights

Semifinals

The strongest sides entered the competition in the semifinals, as Chelsea and Palmeiras both took the field and earned shutout wins. 

Date
Round
Match
 

Tues, Feb. 8
Semifinal 1
Palmeiras 2, Al Ahly 0
Highlights

Wed, Feb. 9
Semifinal 2
Chelsea 1, Al Hilal 0
Highlights

5th Place Match

The fifth-place match was an early-morning slate between the losers from the second round matches. Monterrey saved face by securing fifth place as the North American representative.

Date
Round
Match
 

Wed, Feb. 9
5th Place
Al Jazira 1, Monterrey 3
Highlights

3rd Place Match

The semifinal losers dropped into the third-place match.

Egypt’s Al Ahly finished in third place for the second consecutive tournament, taking advantage of two first-half red cards shown to Al Hilal.

Date
Round
Match
 

Sat, Feb. 12
3rd Place
Al Ahly 4, Al Hilal 0
Highlights

Final

The semifinal winners reached the final on Saturday, February 12, when a new champion was crowned, succeeding 2020 champions Bayern Munich. Both Palmeiras and Chelsea entered the final having never previously won the event.

Date
Round
Match
 

Sat, Feb. 12
Final
Chelsea 2, Palmeiras 1 (a.e.t.)
Highlights