26 Nov 2019
Doha, 26 November 2019. In course of the FIFA Club World Cup 2019, that will be held from December 11 to 22 in Qatar, the tournament’s trophy was held on display at Aspire Academy on Tuesday morning and student-athletes and staff had the opportunity to have their photo taken with the coveted prize, which will be the centerpiece of this special event.
Among the more than 200 people that went to see the trophy at the indoor football pitch of Aspire Academy, was student-athlete Yousif al Darwish, who was grateful for the chance to exclusively see the Club World Cup trophy. “And I’m looking forward to see the world’s best clubs from each continent playing on our ground. This is also great motivation for our young footballers in Qatar and even our graduates to work harder to be where these players are one day in the near future.”
Nasser Al Kuwari, Head of Fan Engagement at QSL and in charge of the "FIFA Club World Cup 2019 Trophy Tour" that takes place in Doha’s most popular places, stressed the importance of such events, that intend to inspire the young Qatari talent. “The aim of taking our tour to the academy is to motivate the student-athletes to follow the tournament, but also to work hard in order to, one day, take part of this tournament themselves. This tournament brings together the best club from each continent and I’m positive that it’s going to be very exciting. We’re also sure it’s going to be packed, because tickets were sold out as soon as they were issued, and whenever we put some on sale, they are sold out immediately.”
Ali Salem Afifa, Deputy Director of Aspire Academy, thanked the QFA, QSL and the Supreme Committee for including Aspire Academy in the FIFA Club World Cup 2019 Trophy Tour. “I’m positive the tournament will be perfectly organized like any other sport event in Qatar and we’re very looking forward to watching big teams competing in some of the 2022 FIFA World Cup stadiums. We wish the organization of this tournament all the success possible and I’m positive we all are going to enjoy it.”
The FIFA Club World Cup crowns the world champions of club football, involving winners of the six continental confederations, as well as the host nation's league champion. Qatar will host both the 2019 and 2020 tournaments, serving as test events ahead of hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The participants in 2019 are Liverpool (Winners of the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League), Flamengo (Winners of the 2019 Copa Libertadores), Al-Hilal (Winners of the 2019 AFC Champions League), Espérance de Tunis (Winners of the 2018-19 CAF Champions League), Monterrey (Winners of the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League), Hienghène Sport (Winners of the 2019 OFC Champions League) and Al-Sadd (Winners of the 2018–19 Qatar Stars League).