Real Madrid won the Club World Cup last week, beating Al-Hilal in the finals. BBC SPORTS

KSA to host FIFA for the first time

Saudi Arabia will host the FIFA World Cup 2023 in December, the Fifa Council announced. In a recent Fifa council meeting, the organization voted to stage the tournament in Saudi Arabia from December 12-22. Saudi Arabia will be the sixth host of the tournament since its founding in 2000. The announcement followed three days after Real Madrid won against Al-Hilal in a 5-3 win. They are the first Saudi club to reach the final tournament. "We are honored and extremely excited to be allowed to welcome the world's leading football clubs and their fans to Saudi Arabia," said Prime Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal, Saudi Arabia's sports minister. The sports minister also highlighted that this would be the chance to prove that Saudi Arabia is a "world-class" host of the tournament. Football is the much-loved national sport of Saudi Arabia, which 80 percent of the population plays, attends, or follows. "This will mean so much to our people where 70 percent are under the age of 35 and are obsessed with football," Al Faisal said. Earlier this month, the Asian Football Confederation also confirmed Saudi Arabia to host the 2027 Asian Cup. RZSP/Expat Media
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