Japan will host the Club world Cup in its current format in
2021, the FIFA has announced, AFP reported on Friday.

The World Cup will be held in its current form, that is,
with seven teams, after the plans to hold it in an expanded format with more
number of teams fell through because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It means that now there will be two Club World Cups in the
same year, 2021, to be held in Qatar and Japan.

Qatar will go first, with organizing the Cup between
February 1 and 11, followed by Japan, which will hold the tournament with seven
teams in December.

“Due to the Covid-19 situation, which has led to the
postponement of the revamped new Club World Cup…we’ve decided to organise a
Club World Cup in the current format again in 2021 in December and we awarded
the hosting rights to Japan,” FIFA Gianni Infantino said following a FIFA
Council meeting on Friday, as quoted by AFP.

The expanded tournament with 24 teams was to be played next
year in China, but was postponed to a later date in light of the pandemic.

The Club World Cup will see one representation each from
Europe, South America, North and Central America, Africa, Asia and Oceania,
with the Japanese champions completing the line-up.

Europe will be represented by German champion Bayern Munich,
which will try to succeed Liverpool, which won the cup last year in Doha.

Japan has hosted the cup eight times in past, playing the
host last in 2016.