Fifa Club World Cup UAE 2017: Al Jazira and Auckland City set to kick off festival of football

Dec 05, 2017, 12:41 PM

The 2017 Fifa Club World Cup kicks off this week as football's continental champions arrive in the UAE to compete in the seven-team tournament. Headlined by European champions Real Madrid, the Club World Cup comes to the Emirates for the third time, and first since 2010. Kicking off the action, UAE league winners Al Jazira - the host nation's representative - take on the champions of Oceania, Auckland City, in a play-off on Wednesday to reach the tournament proper. The National's John McAuley has been closely covering the build-up and in this week's Extra Time podcast, provides all the details you need ahead of the curtain-raiser. Hosted by Jon Turner, this week's show also features Graham Caygill who reflects on the last time the Club World Cup was hosted in the UAE. We will also hear from the Jazira manager Henk ten Cate, his Auckland City counterpart Ramon Tribulietx, and Auckland's star striker Emiliano Tade to get their thoughts on the play-off match and the tournament as a whole.