Chelsea is set to kick off its Champions League campaign in a number of days when it welcomes Russian Premier League champion Zenit to SW6. The Blues will now have a target on their back as the European champions and being the reigning Champions League winner doesn’t come with any perks in the tournament the following season. While the competition wipes the slate clean come Tuesday, Chelsea still receives some benefits as the winner outside of Europe.
The most notable reward for winning the Champions League—aside from automatic qualification in Pot 1 for the following year—is earning a trip to the FIFA Club World Cup. The stands of Stamford Bridge will often ring out with chants of “we’ve won it all.” While that is meant to taunt opposing sides who have presumably never won the UCL, it’s not entirely accurate. The Blues have never won the Club World Cup in its brief history. Chelsea has only played in it once before and finished second (2012). The Blues will hopefully get a chance to redeem the 1-0 loss to Corinthians almost a decade ago come December.
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Japan will no longer host the 2021 Club World Cup, putting Chelsea’s place in the competition in serious jeopardy
The “hopefully” was included due to recent developments regarding the tournament. It was made official on Thursday that the planned host country, Japan, notified FIFA of its intentions to withdraw as the sponsor nation. Japan was set to host the Club World Cup for the first time since 2016 before Coronavirus protocols were extended in light of a fifth wave spreading throughout the nation. The Olympic and Paralympic Games were held in Tokyo earlier this year, albeit with no fans in attendance. Japan simply felt it was unprepared to host another major athletic tournament as the health and safety of citizens comes first.
How does this impact Chelsea though? Simply put, the answer to that particular question is in FIFA’s hands. The governing body of world football is still discussing the next steps. There are presumably two options being discussed: relocation or rescheduling.
A relocation will further complicate matters. This will mean the United Kingdom’s government will likely need to become involved regarding Coronavirus precautions necessary for when the Blues return to England. The end of December is one of the busiest times of the year for the Premier League with Boxing Day and New Year’s Day contests. Therefore, Chelsea could not afford to be hit with a lengthy quarantine or it’d become even more of a mess than the fixture list is currently. This is what makes the prospect of rescheduling so appealing. The tournament was delayed a number of months during the height of the COVID-19 outbreak, so it’s not unprecedented that it moves again in 2021 amidst another wave.
However, the waters the Blues are approaching are unprecedented. There is no set way to go about this situation, there are no rules or guidelines. Jurgen Klopp sent a heavily rotated Liverpool squad to Qatar, who could host this year’s tournament to prepare for the 2022 World Cup, just a few seasons ago anyway. The Reds didn’t have to worry about COVID, the tournament was just an inconvenience on the calendar, but an important one nonetheless. Chelsea has a deep enough squad to seemingly get it through the December fixtures—which include the likes of Everton, Wolves, Aston Villa and Brighton—and lift the CWC for the first time in its history. Thomas Tuchel’s men will likely formulate a strategy once the new plans are cemented and the date draws closer.
There is still a lot of uncertainty regarding the field, which includes just three teams at this moment in time. Al Ahly (Confederation of African Football), Auckland City (Oceania Football Confederation) and Chelsea (Union of European Football Associations) have all qualified thus far. They will eventually be joined by four other clubs. The Blues and the CONMEBOL nominee will enter the tournament in the semifinals.
It’d be a shame to see the Blues have to put this tournament on the back burner. While it’s not important enough to reschedule a plethora of Premier League matches for, it’s still a trophy the team has never lifted. Chelsea is all about writing history and that needs to be prioritized to a certain extent when the club develops a plan for how to approach the 2021 Club World Cup.
Do you still want to see Chelsea compete in the Club World Cup? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!