FIFA Club World Cup™ 2023 to be hosted in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

2023-06-26
13:20:55

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, 26 June 2023 – The Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) and Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) have today announced that Jeddah will be the host city of this year’s FIFA Club World Cup™ 2023.

The decision was made during a FIFA delegation visit to Jeddah last week to assess ongoing preparations for the tournament, which takes place from 12-22 December this year. It will be the first time the FIFA Club World Cup™ is held in Saudi Arabia, reflecting the Kingdom’s ongoing commitment to advancing its sports sector.

Yasser Al Misehal, President of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, said: "We are delighted that Jeddah, with its state-of-the-art facilities and reputation for hosting major international sports events, has been selected as host city for the FIFA Club World Cup™.

“Sport is a key driver of Saudi Arabia’s ongoing transformation under Vision 2030, which has established the Kingdom as one of the fastest growing and most exciting countries in world sport.

“We believe hosting international events like the FIFA Club World Cup™ provides an opportunity to grow the game further and inspire new and existing fans, while showcasing to the world Saudi’s hospitable culture and huge passion for football.

“Working closely with FIFA, we are ready to deliver an exceptional tournament and an unforgettable experience for players and fans.”

The FIFA delegation visit included detailed inspections of key infrastructure including the King Abdullah Sport City Stadium and the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium, as well as the proposed training and accommodation facilities.

SAFF’s commitment to growing the game at every level in Saudi across men and women’s football has been highlighted by recent achievements including qualifying for six FIFA World Cup™ tournaments, winning the U23 AFC Asian Cup (men), successfully establishing a women’s national team that is now FIFA ranked, and launching an U17 women’s national team.
At grassroots level, SAFF has opened 28 regional training centers to nurture young Saudi talent and increased registered coaches from 750 in 2018 to more than 5,500 today, of which 1,000 are women. Rapid progress has seen the number of male registered players rise by 58% since 2021, while the number of registered female players has increased by 86% in the same period.
Jeddah has hosted several major international sports events in recent years, including the Spanish and Italian Super Cups, F1 stc Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, World Heavyweight Championship Boxing, the Asian Club League Handball Championship, IHF Men's Super Globe, IWF Youth World Championships, and the FIBA 3x3 World Tour Final.