Definition of Club World Cup

From a historical point of view the first football match was held in England in 1860 and was faced Sheffield United and Hallam This data highlights a fact: in the history of this sport the clubs have been more relevant than the national teams themselves. In fact, the first world championship was held in 1930, when all nations already had their respective leagues.

The Club World Cup or Mundialito has been held annually since 2000

In this competition organized by FIFA, the winners of two competitions face each other: the Copa Libertadores, which represents the continent South American and the European Champions League. As is logical, the champion club is considered the best team of the world of the year. This competition is the heir to the Intercontinental Cup.

At present the tournament is open to clubs around the world belonging to any confederacy soccer. The Format The competition has been changing over the years. Like other tournaments, in this one an initial phase is played and later comes a semifinal and the final (all matches are played as a single match).

FIFA is currently preparing a new format for the next editions of the Mundialito (24 teams are expected to participate and it will be played every four years and not annually). With this new version, the top football club competition will look more like the world national team championship.

Statistical data on Mundialito

- Real Madrid and F. C Barcelona with three wins each are the most successful clubs in the history of the competition.

- Corinthians of Brazil was the first champion of the tournament.

- European clubs lead South Americans in triumphs (until 2018 there are nine UEFA champions for four from Conmebol).

- Spain is the country with more titles, since Madrid and Barcelona add 6 victories. Brazil follows with 4 championships and Italy with 2.

- The Portuguese striker Christian Ronaldo is the top scorer of the tournament (7 goals). In second position are Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez, both with 5 goals.

- To the margin from football recognition and prestige, the winning clubs earn a total of $ 17 million.

- The trophy for the winner is a world champion crest with an emblem, FIFA World Champions.

Photo Fotolia: Animaflora