2006 FIFA Club World Cup

2006 FIFA Club World Cup
FIFA Club World Cup Japan 2006
presented by Toyota
Toyota プレゼンツFIFAクラブワールドカップ ジャパン2006
FIFA Club World Cup 2006 official logo
Tournament details
Host countryJapan
Dates10–17 December
Teams6 (from 6 confederations)
Venue(s)3 (in 3 host cities)
Final positions
ChampionsBrazil Internacional (1st title)
Runners-upSpain Barcelona
Third placeEgypt Al Ahly
Fourth placeMexico América
Tournament statistics
Matches played7
Goals scored17 (2.43 per match)
Attendance325,152 (46,450 per match)
Top scorer(s)Mohamed Aboutrika (Al Ahly)
3 goals
Best player(s)Deco (Barcelona)
Fair play awardSpain Barcelona
2005
2007

The 2006 FIFA Club World Cup (officially known as the FIFA Club World Cup Japan 2006 presented by Toyota for sponsorship reasons) was a football tournament held in Japan between 10 and 17 December 2006. It was the third FIFA Club World Cup.

The club champions from each of the six confederations played in a knockout tournament. The quarter-final match-ups were determined by a draw including the AFC, CAF, CONCACAF and OFC champions, while the UEFA and CONMEBOL champions were given byes to the semi-finals. The losers of the quarter-finals would play for the fifth place, while the losers of the semi-finals were to play in a third-place play-off.

Defending champions São Paulo were beaten in the 2006 Copa Libertadores Finals by fellow Brazilian side Internacional, who went on to win the Club World Cup for the first time, beating Al Ahly in the semi-finals before defeating Spanish club Barcelona 1–0 in the final.

A team from the host nation did not participate, as was initially proposed. Following the departure of Australia from the OFC, the Oceanian representative, Auckland City, was fully amateur, so forcing them to play a play-off for a place in the quarter-finals against the J. League champions (Gamba Osaka) was considered, which would have also promoted local interest. The change would have also eliminated the fifth-place play-off, to keep the number of games intact. This was finally rejected, but the tournament format was changed for 2007.[1]

  1. ^ "Oceania to get direct entry to Club World Cup". Archived from the original on 18 January 2012. Retrieved 12 July 2006.