2012 FIFA Club World Cup

Club World Cup logo'12

The 2012 FIFA Club World Cup will give football fans an opportunity to watch the champions of all the best club competitions from last season play in a competitive tournament with a prestigious trophy on the line.
As usual, the tournament is headlined by the winner of the UEFA Champions League, which is Premier League club Chelsea.
The Blues are hoping to become the sixth straight European club to win this tournament since it began in 2000. Manchester United became the first and only English club to win the FIFA Club World Cup in 2008.
Let's look at the tournament bracket and schedule and make some predictions for this exciting club tournament 

Teams Participating:

Club	Country	Tournament Won in 2012
Chelsea	England	UEFA Champions League
Al-Ahly	Egypt	CAF Champions League
Corinthians	Brazil	Copa Libertadores
Ulsan Hyundai	South Korea	AFC Champions League
Monterrey	Mexico	CONCACAF Champions League
Sanfrecce Hiroshima	Japan	J. League Division 1
Auckland City	Australia	OFC Champions League

Schedule:

Round	Date	Team		Team
Playoff	December 6	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	vs.	Auckland City
Quarterfinals	December 9	Ulsan Hyundai	vs.	Monterrey
Quarterfinals	December 9	Sanfrecce Hiroshima/Auckland City	vs.	Al-Ahly
Semifinals	December 12	Corinthians	vs.	TBD
Semifinals	December 13	Chelsea	vs.	TBD
Final	December 16	TBD	vs.	TBD
3rd Place	December 16	TBD	vs.	TBD
5th Place	December 12	TBD	vs.	TBD

Goal-line technology:

The 2012 FIFA Club World Cup will be the first FIFA tournament to use Goal line technology following its approval by the International football associations (IFAB) in July 2012. The two systems approved by FIFA, GoalReaf (installed in Yokohama) and Hawk_Eye (installed in Toyota), will be used in the two stadiums.

Champion :

Ø Japan:2011

Winner: FC Barcelona

Runners-Up: Santos Futebol Clube

Third: Al-Sadd Sports Club

Fourth: Kashiwa Reysol

adidas Golden Ball: Lionel MESSI (ARG)

FIFA Fair Play award: FC Barcelona

Barcelona captain Carles Puyol lifts the trophy with team-mates after the FIFA Club World Cup Final match between Santosl and Barcelona at the Yokohama International Stadium on December 18, 2011 in Yokohama, Japan. 

Ø UAE 2010

Winner: F.C. Internazionale Milano

Runners-Up: Tout Puissant Mazembe Englebert

Third: Sport Clube Internacional0

Fourth: Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma F.C.

adidas Golden Ball: Samuel ETOO (CMR)

FIFA Fair Play award: F.C. Internazionale Milano

Internazionale ultimately overcame their pre-tournament problems to win impressively, but they had to share the headlines with African sensations TP Mazembe.

Ø UAE2009

Winner: FC Barcelona
Runners-Up: Club Estudiantes de La Plata
Third: Pohang Steelers FC
Fourth: Atlante Futbol Club
adidas Golden Ball: Lionel MESSI (ARG)
FIFA Fair Play award: Atlante Futbol Club

A Lionel Messi-inspired Barcelona seized their sixth crown of 2009 in thrilling style against Estudiantes, as Pohang Steelers and Auckland City also shone.

Ø Japan2008

Winner: Manchester United FC
Runners-Up: Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito
Third: Gamba Osaka
Fourth: Pachuca
adidas Golden Ball: Wayne ROONEY (ENG)
FIFA Fair Play award: Adelaide United FC

2008 has been a memorable year for Manchester United. Champions of England, champions of Europe and now champions of the world. 

Ø Japan2007

Winner: AC Milan
Runners-Up: Boca Juniors
Third: Urawa Red Diamonds
Fourth: Etoile Sportive du Sahel
adidas Golden Ball: KAKA (BRA)
FIFA Fair Play award: Urawa Red Diamonds

By defeating Boca Juniors, the Italians ended South America's dominance and brought the FIFA Club World Cup to Europe for the first time. 

Ø Japan2006

Winner: Sport Clube Internacional
Runners-Up: FC Barcelona
Third: Al-Ahly SC
Fourth: CF América
adidas Golden Ball: DECO (POR)
FIFA Fair Play award: FC Barcelona

All three editions of the FIFA Club World Cup have culminated in Brazilian sides being crowned champions: Corinthians in 2000, Sao Paulo in 2005 and SC Internacional de Porto Alegre in 2006. That is surely no coincidence, and can be considered all the more impressive for the fact that the beaten finalists in the last two tournaments have been the heavily-tipped European champion.

Ø Japan2005

Winner: Sao Paulo FC
Runners-Up: Liverpool FC
Third: Deportivo Saprissa
Fourth: Al Ittihad
adidas Golden Ball: ROGERIO CENI (BRA)
FIFA Fair Play award: Liverpool FC

It was billed as the champion of champions tournament. The six confederation winners met in Japan for the right to be called the best on the planet. And the FIFA Club World Championship TOYOTA Cup Japan 2005 lived up to the hype, proving to be a largely even contest and a knockout for fans. 

Ø Brazil2000

Winner: Corinthians
Runners-Up: Vasco da Gama
Third: Necaxa
Fourth: Real Madrid
adidas Golden Ball: EDILSON (BRA)
FIFA Fair Play award: Al Nassr .

The FIFA Club World Championship in Brazil was the first international footballing event of the new millennium. With a mind-boggling array of top-tier talent on display, the brave, new move towards a more globalised club football community made for quite a showcase indeed. Eight club sides representing every corner of Planet Football converged on Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo to bask under the warm South American sun in the nation considered by most to be the true heart and soul of the beautiful game.