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Published : Oct 16, 2024 09:02 IST , USA – 3 MINS READ
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Gianni Infantino appears during an event. | Photo Credit: AP
Seattle’s Lumen Field will host six games during next year’s Club World Cup, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said Tuesday.
The Seattle Sounders, which earned a spot in the competition by winning the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League, will host all three of their group matches at their home stadium.
Three other matches will also be played at Lumen Field, one of 12 stadiums that will host a total of 63 games during the tournament. The event, which is now set to be played every four years, will include an expanded field of 32 teams from FIFA’s six soccer confederations.
“I arrived yesterday and visited Lumen Field. Great arena, very special arena which has a special soul, a special heart inside,” Infantino said. “You can feel it when you are in some stadiums, they don’t have to be the biggest or the most special. This one is very special.”
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The tournament is set to start on June 15 and run through July 13, with the final set for New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium — also the site of the 2026 World Cup final. So far, the Club World Cup has drawn no major U.S. sponsors and there is not a media rights deal in place.
Infantino was set to meet Tuesday with local elected officials, representatives of the Seattle Sounders and the National Women’s Soccer League team, the Seattle Reign, as well as leadership for Seattle’s 2026 World Cup organizing committee.
Seattle has also been picked as a host city for the men’s World Cup in 2026. Lumen Field will host six matches for that event.
“This will be, for me, part of the legacy we want to leave as well,” Infantino said. “We’re not just here to organize tournaments and events, but we are here to grow the game to make it become No. 1 not just around the world but also in this country.”
Adrian Hanauer, the majority owner of the Sounders, said a temporary grass field would be used for the Club World Cup. Lumen Field, also home to the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks, has atrificial turf.
When the dates for the Club World Cup were announced, global players’ union FIFPRO criticized FIFA for not considering player workloads in scheduling.
On Monday, the European division of FIFPRO and the 33-nation European Leagues group filed a formal complaint with the European Commission on competition grounds, accusing FIFA of failing to consult properly on its decisions.
The European Commission in Brussels is the executive arm of the 27-nation European Union and can intervene on breaches of competition law.
Twelve teams from Europe will be included in the Club World Cup. They are Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich, Benfica, Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Juventus, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, Porto, Real Madrid and Salzburg.
Other teams that have qualified include Boca Juniors, Flamengo, Fluminense, Palmeiras and River Plate from South America; Leon, Monterrey, Pachuca and the Sounders from North America; Al Ahly, Esperance, Mamelodi Sundowns and Wydad from Africa; Al-Hilal, Al Ain, Ulsan and Urawa from Asia; and Auckland City from Oceania.
Another American team will qualify for the tournament but FIFA has not specified the process for making the choice, leaving open the possibility it could be Lionel Messi’s club, Inter Miami.
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