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Revision as of 15:21, 6 December 2004 by Sjorford (talk | contribs) (add some details on 2000 edition)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)The FIFA Club World Championship is a football (soccer) competition contested between the leading clubs from all 6 continental confederations.
The first edition took place in Brazil in January 2000. It was originally intended by FIFA to be a replacement for the Intercontinental Cup, which is contested annually by the champions of Europe and South America. The new tournament was not universally popular, but nevertheless a second edition was pencilled in for Spain in 2001. This was cancelled due to the collapse of FIFA's marketing partner ISL, and no immediate plans were made for its return. A second edition has now been scheduled for Tokyo, Japan between the 11th and 18th of December 2005.
2000 tournament
The clubs invited to the 2000 tournament were:
| Al Nassr | Saudi Arabia | |
| Corinthians | Brazil | 1999 Copa do Brasil winners |
| Manchester United | England | 1999 UEFA Champions League winners |
| Necaxa | Mexico | 1999 CONCACAF Champions Cup winners |
| Raja Casablanca | Morocco | |
| Real Madrid | Spain | 1998 UEFA Champions League winners |
| Vasco da Gama | Brazil | 1998 Copa Libertadores winners |
Matches were played in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. The teams were organised in 2 groups of 4 teams, with the top two in each going through to the semi-finals. Corinthians were the eventual winners, beating their Brazilian compatriots Vasco da Gama 4-3 in a penalty shootout after a 0-0 draw.
Manchester United's participation was controversial, as they insisted on being allowed to sit out the 1999-2000 FA Cup (of which they were the reigning champions) in order to travel to Brazil. The Football Association reluctantly agreed, partly to assist England's bid to host the 2006 World Cup.
2004 tournament
Teams are to play 7 matches in only 8 days, except for the European and South American champions, who will only play two.