The Peninsula
Al Sadd’s participation in the World Championship was hanging in the balance due to the fact that only one club from the host nation can participate in the tournament.
So, if Al Duhail had advanced into the ACL quarters, and somehow went on to win the continental event, they could have replaced Al Sadd, the QNB Stars League champions at the global event to represent Qatar, while the ACL runners-up will be a substitute for Wolves.
The current format of the tournament involves seven teams competing for the title; the winners of that year’s ACL (Asia), CAF Champions League (Africa), CONCACAF Champions League (North America), Copa Libertadores (South America), OFC Champions League (Oceania) and UEFA Champions League (Europe), along with the host nation’s national champions, participate in a straight knock-out tournament.
The host’s champions contest a play-off against the Oceania champions, from which the winner joins the champions of Asia, Africa and North America at the quarter-finals.
The quarter-final winners go on to face the European and South American champions, who enter at the semi-final stage, for a place in the final.
However, now that Al Duhail is out of the picture, Xavi Hernandez’ men will take on the world’s best in the event which kicks off on December 11 with the final taking place 10 days later.
“If the AFC Champions League winners are not a club from Qatar, the current holders of the QNB Stars League title, Al Sadd SC, play the opening match against Hienghene Sport,” FIFA had previously said in a statement.
Al Sadd qualified for the quarter-finals of the ACL after beating compatriot Al Duhail 3-1 on Tuesday at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, in the second leg of the last 16.
The draw for the second and semi-final will take place at the FIFA headquarters in Zurich on 16 September.
FIFA had said it would revamp the tournament to feature 24 teams from 2021, with Qatar hosting the final two editions in the old style as test events for the World Cup which the Gulf state will host in 2022.