The Organising Committee for the 2005 FIFA World Club Championship have proposed 17-31 July as the dates which are subject to ratification by the FIFA Executive Committee. The tournament will be hosted by one of the national associations in the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF).
In anticipation, the Oceania Football Confederation is now working with its members to propose dates for the Oceania qualifiers. The club leagues in the member national associations run at various times of the year so the purpose is to avoid clashes with their seasons where possible.
The FIFA Organising Committee also confirmed the championship will be a biennial event and that Asia would host it in 2007. A 16-team format has been proposed with a qualification structure to be disclosed in the future.
The inaugural tournament was hosted by Brazil in 2000 with South Melbourne of Australia representing the OFC. The 2001 event was supposed to have seen the Wollongong Wolves of Australia representing OFC, but the tournament was called off.
According to a media statement from FIFA: “The FIFA Executive Committee’s March 2002 decision to organise a world championship for clubs as from 2005 was unanimously confirmed by the FIFA family with the ratification of the revised FIFA Statutes at the Extraordinary Congress in Doha (Qatar) on 19 October 2003. Fulfilling FIFA’s commitment to the football family, the FIFA Club World Championship will provide clubs from all confederations with the opportunity to become Club World Champion.
“It’s a question of solidarity,” said the FIFA President, who also attended the meeting. “The key is to have worldwide representation within a compelling format that is attractive not just to the clubs and fans, but to the entire football family. I am pleased to say that today’s meeting set us on exactly the right course.”