Chelsea are set for a trip to the UAE in 2022 after Fifa confirmed that the Club World Cup will take place in the Middle East nation early next year.
The Blues qualified for the tournament by virtue of their Champions League final victory over Manchester City last season.
Japan was originally scheduled to stage the tournament in December this year but withdrew last month due to the COVID-19 situation in the country.
“It was decided (at the FIFA Council meeting) that the Club World Cup 2021 will be played in early 2022, the precise dates are still to be defined, but the hosts after the withdrawal of Japan because of the pandemic, the hosts will be the UAE.” said Fifa president Gianni Infantino.
The UAE has staged the tournament four times before -- in 2009, 2010, 2017 and 2018.
FIFA last year chose Japan as host for a traditional seven-club event after an expanded 24-team tournament, originally scheduled for China in June 2021, was delayed due to the pandemic.
The annual competition brings together the champions from the six global confederations as well as the host nation’s league winners.
Additional reporting by Reuters.
