Champions League winners Bayern Munich and Copa Libertadores champions Palmeiras are the star attractions at the 17th edition of the Club World Cup, which pits the winners of five continental competitions - and host nation Qatar's Al-Duhail - against each other, in order to crown one football club the best in the world. Read on to find out how to watch FIFA Club World Cup and live stream every fixture online, no matter where you are in the world today.
Dates: Thursday, February 4 - Thursday, February 11 (2021)
Host city: Al Rayyan, Qatar
Watch FREE Club World Cup live stream: BBC iPlayer (opens in new tab)and BBC Sport (opens in new tab)
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Auckland City were supposed to be the seventh club in contention, but the Navy Blues withdrew because of the pandemic, which incidentally also pushed the tournament back from its usual December slot.
By some happy quirk of fate, two of the teams in contention for the Club World Cup have the same nickname and near-identical crests. Tigres UANL - who sport one of the finest jerseys in world football - are representing Mexico, while AFC Champions League winners Ulsan Hyundai are flying the flag for South Korea. Egypt's Al Ahly complete the lineup.
The games are being played at Ahmed bin Ali Stadium and Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, both venues having been purpose-built for next year’s World Cup. European teams have traditionally dominated this competition, winning 12 of the 16 Club World Cups that have been played so far, and it's hard to look past Hansi Flick's Bundesliga goliaths, who are on the hunt for their sixth trophy in the last 12 months.
Flick has taken his full spectrum of superstars to Qatar, including Robert Lewandowski, Serge Gnabry and Leroy Sane, so don't a second of the action. Here's how to watch a FIFA Club World Cup live stream and catch every game on wherever you are in the world.
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How to watch FIFA Club World Cup football from outside your country
If you're out of the country during the Club World Cup, you'll likely find you're unable to access your usual football coverage like you would at home. This isn't necessarily cause for alarm, but rather the result of geo-blocking - best understood as digital borders that restrict certain services and content to certain parts of the world.
Fortunately, there's a convenient way around this in the form of a VPN, or Virtual Private Network. This is a nifty bit of software that lets you re-position your device of choice to a location of your choosing, thereby allowing you to globe trot and still access your preferred FIFA Club World Cup live stream. It's a completely legal workaround, very affordable, and super easy to use - allow us to explain more.
Use a VPN to watch a Club World Cup live stream from anywhere
How to watch FIFA Club World Cup: FREE UK live stream
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FIFA Club World Cup format
Round 1 was supposed to be contested by Al-Duhail and Auckland City, but the Qatari team was awarded a bye to Round 2 because of Auckland's withdrawal.
Tigres meet Ulsan Hyundai, and Al Ahly face Al-Duhail in Round 2, with the winners going on to play either Palmeiras or Bayern Munich - who qualify for the semi-finals automatically by means of being the top-seeded teams in the competition - for a place in the final.
FIFA Club World Cup schedule
All times GMT (UK time).
ROUND 1 - Monday, February 1
Al-Duhail vs Auckland City (Auckland City withdraw from tournament)
ROUND 2 - Thursday, February 4
- UANL Tigres vs Ulsan Hyundai, 2pm
- Al-Duhail vs Al Ahly, 5.30pm
5TH PLACE PLAYOFF - Sunday, February 7
- Loser Match 2 vs Loser Match 3, 3pm
SEMI-FINAL 1 - Sunday, February 7
- Palmeiras vs Winner Match 2, 6pm
SEMI-FINAL 2 - Monday, February 8
- Bayern Munich vs Winner Match 3, 6pm
3RD PLACE PLAYOFF - Thursday, February 11
- Loser Semi-Final 1 vs Loser Semi-Final 2, 3pm
FINAL - Thursday, February 11
- Winner Semi-Final 1 vs Winner Semi-Final 2, 6pm
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