Japan Withdraws As 2021 Club World Cup Host

The Japanese Football Association (JFA) said on Thursday it had pulled out of holding this year’s Club World Cup due to coronavirus restrictions.

The decision comes after the Japanese government extended emergency COVID-19 restrictions in Tokyo and other regions until the end of this month.

The annual football tournament, at which the champions from the six global confederations compete along with the host nation’s top team, was due to be held there in December.

“We had to make a decision at this time,” JFA Secretary General and CEO Kiyotaka Suhara told a press conference.

The Club World Cup was last held in Japan in 2016, and the JFA had planned to host the 2021 edition as part of its 100th anniversary celebrations.

A24-team event is still on the agenda for FIFA, with president Gianni Infantino saying last year that they just needed to decide when it would take place.