Meet Arias and Kennedy

Fluminense Rio de Janeiro have been confirmed as first runners-up at this year’s Club World Cup. The traditional Brazilian club won its semi-final on Monday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, 2-0 (0-0) against Egypt’s El Ahly Cairo. Jhon Arias (71st) scored 1-0 with a converted penalty, the penalty was taken by Marcelo, long-time Real Madrid professional. John Kennedy (90th) scored the final score. For Marcelo, this title duel is his fifth participation in a Club World Cup final. He won every time with Real Madrid. Only Toni Kroos has made more than five finals and won the competition title.

In the final on December 22, Fluminense could face Manchester City, winner of the Champions League, who must first win their semi-final this Tuesday against the Japanese club Urawa Red Diamonds. The Premier League club led by star coach Pep Guardiola, like Fluminense, automatically qualified for the semi-finals as winners of the Copa Libertadores, South American Champions League counterpart.

The tournament is taking place for the first time in Saudi Arabia. The country, criticized for its human rights violations, has positioned itself for years as a host of major sporting events. He has recently invested a lot of money, notably in professional (Site notre bureau spécialisé), and brought superstars like Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar into the national championship. It is considered certain that Saudi Arabia will win the 2034 World Cup.

This is the last edition of the Club World Cup under the current format. For 2025, the world association FIFA is planning a tournament from June 15 to July 13 in the USA with 63 matches in total and seven matches for the finalists. German record champions FC Bayern Munich have certainly already qualified for this thanks to their good results in the Champions League.

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