Stadium news #52
The first UEFA Champions League group-stage matches of this football season will kick-off soon. The UEFA Champions League became the most popular continental championship for football clubs. 14 clubs in the group stage of the tournament won at least one European championship title. Those clubs are AC Milan, Bayern München, Benfica, Borussia Dortmund, Celtic, Crvena zvezda, FC Barcelona, FC Porto, Feyenoord, Internazionale, Manchester City, Manchester United, PSV and Real Madrid. Some of these clubs are among the most valuable sports clubs in the world.
Other participants
32 football clubs were qualified for the group stage of the prestigious UEFA Champions League. The 18 participants without a continental championship title are 1. FC Union, Arsenal, Atlético de Madrid, FC København, Galatasaray, Lazio, Newcastle United, Paris Saint-Germain, RAFC, RB Leipzig, RC Lens, Real Sociedad, Red Bull Salzburg, SC Braga, Sevilla FC, Shakhtar Donetsk, SSC Napoli and the Young Boys. Arsenal, Atlético de Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain all played in at least one European championship final.
Future finals
The next UEFA Champions League final is scheduled to place place on 1 June 2024. The 90,000-capacity Wembley Stadium in the United Kingdom was chosen as the host venue. The winners of the next UEFA Champions League final are allowed to enter the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. That edition of the world championship for football clubs is planned to be the first one under an expanded format with 32 clubs. The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup is scheduled to take place in the United States.
The 2023 FIFA Club World Cup
Manchester City from the United Kingdom were qualified for the semi-finals of the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup after winning the previous edition of the UEFA Champions League. The next winners of the South American championship for football clubs are also allowed to enter the semi-finals of the world championship for football clubs. The Brazilian clubs Fluminense, Internacional and Palmeiras reached the semi-finals of the South American football tournament. The Argentine club Boca Juniors also reached the semi-finals. Al-Ahly from Egypt, Club León from the United Mexican States and the Urawa Red Diamonds from Japan are allowed to enter the second round of the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup after winning a continental championship title.
Stadiums in Jeddah
The 2023 FIFA Club World Cup is scheduled to take place in Saudi Arabia in December 2023. Two stadiums were chosen to host the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup matches. The King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah was chosen as the venue for the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup final. That stadium has a capacity of 62,000. The 38,000-capacity Prince Abdullah al-Faisal Stadium, which is also located in the port city of Jeddah, was chosen as the other 2023 FIFA Club World Cup venue.
