Football News : Club World Cup hosts UAE excited to welcome Chelsea and record number of Arab clubs

Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, the president of the UAE Football Association (UAEFA), has welcomed European champions Chelsea to the country ahead of the 2021 Club World Cup.

Chelsea - runners-up in 2012 - will begin their campaign in the semi-finals, facing either AFC Champions League winners Al Hilal, Abu Dhabi club Al Jazira or AS Pirae from Tahiti.

South American champions Palmeiras are the other club that automatically qualify for the semi-finals, with the winner of a second round match between Egypt's Al Ahly and Monterrey of Mexico providing the opposition in the last four.