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

Kyle Bonn

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

The FIFA Club World Cup trophy will be awarded to the winner of the annual knockout competition between continental champions.

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

Kyle Bonn

Kyle Bonn Photo

Kyle Bonn, is a Syracuse University broadcast journalism graduate with over a decade of experience covering soccer globally. Kyle specializes in soccer tactics and betting, with a degree in data analytics. Kyle also does TV broadcasts for Wake Forest soccer, and has had previous stops with NBC Soccer and IMG College. When not covering the game, he has long enjoyed loyalty to the New York Giants, Yankees, and Fulham. Kyle enjoys playing racquetball and video games when not watching or covering sports.