To win a world championship for the first time, Manchester City will travel to Saudi Arabia.
In the first match of their FIFA Club World Cup competition, Manchester City will take on either Club Leon or Urawa Red Diamonds.
After winning the European championship in June, City will play in the FIFA Club World Cup semifinal against either the Mexican or Japanese opponent as they seek to become the world champions.
We examined each potential semifinal matchup for City.
Red Diamonds of Urawa.
Based in Saitama, a city close to Yokohama, the Urawa Red Diamonds are a Japanese team.
With three titles, the Reds are tied for the second-most victories in the Asian Champions League.
Urawa Red Diamonds placed ninth in the J-League standings last season, 23 points off the top spot, despite winning both the Asian Champions League and the Japanese Super Cup.
Shinji Ono, Waturu Endo, a recent Liverpool acquisition, and Michael Rumenigge, a former striker for Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, are just a few of the ex-players who have played for Urawa Red Diamonds.
The Saitama Stadium, which can hold just over 63,000 spectators, is where the Japanese team competes. The venue, the biggest football-specific stadium in Japan, hosted both the Olympic Games in 2020 and the World Cup in 2002.
Since Manchester United hosted the Urawa Red Diamonds in the 2004 “Vodafone Cup,” some United supporters may be familiar with the team’s name.
However, because of the rain, this game was abandoned, leaving 800 of the fans who traveled with them disappointed.
Shinji Ono’s fine equalizer against Urawa kept United tied at 2-2 three years later in 2007.
In Club Leon.
Just over ten years after being dropped to Mexican football’s second division, the Mexican team is making their FIFA Club World Cup debut.
By defeating Los Angeles FC, Leon was able to win the CONCACAF Champions League and earn a place in this year’s Club World Cup.
Club Leon is no stranger to playing against elite European competition; in 2014, Barcelona destroyed them 6-0 in the annual “Joan Gamper” Trophy.
Leon currently sits in 11th place in the Liga MX standings after only two of their first seven games have ended in victories.
Last season, Leon finished sixth.
With a capacity of just over 31,000, their home field, the Estadio Leon, is outclassed by both Uwara’s stadium and the Etihad.
Fidel Ambriz, a 20-year-old midfielder, won the CONCACAF Champions League award for best young player despite Leon’s lackluster league performance.
Leon still managed to win the competition despite this.
Pep Guardiola might want to keep an eye on this one.
On December 19, in Riyadh, Manchester City will play in the Club World Cup semifinal, three days after their currently scheduled home match against Crystal Palace on December 16.
On December 15, after the second-round match between Urawa and Club Leon, the European champions will find out who their opponents will be.
If City wins the semi-final, they’ll face either the Copa Libertadores champions from South America (who will play in the final; this hasn’t been decided yet), Al Ahly, Al Ittihad, or Auckland FC, depending on who wins the other half of the draw.
City’s scheduled matchup with Brentford has already been moved to make room for the semifinal matchup.
Should City advance to the competition’s final, it would take place on December 22 at precisely noon, two days after their semi-final and four days before their currently scheduled match on Boxing Day away at Everton.
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