Pachuca claimed the CONCACAF title to become the first side to qualify for the FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2017.
They were closely followed by Al Jazira who will represent host country United Arab Emirates after taking out the 2016/17 Arabian Gulf League title two weeks ahead of the league’s final match day.
The qualification gives OFC Champions League finalists Team Wellington and Auckland City an idea of their potential opponents ahead of the second leg final this coming Sunday.
Mexican side Pachuca will be making their fourth appearance in the FIFA finals after edging fellow Mexican club Tigres with a 2-1 aggregate victory to win the CONCACAF Champions League.
There was little to separate the sides for much of this all-Mexican final but Pachuca gained a key advantage when Tigres midfielder Guido Pizarro was red carded with 12 minutes remaining, making room for Franco Jara to score the second leg’s only goal seven minutes from time.
Al Jazira defeated Hatta 5-0 in round 24 and those three points, combined with closest challengers Al Ahli’s 2-2 draw with Al Sharjah, meant Al Jazira could no longer be caught.
It will be the first time that Al Jazira will represent UAE at the FIFA Club World Cup, after Al Ahli and Al Wahda had the honour the previous two times that UAE hosted the tournament in 2009 and 2010.
Oceania’s representative club will be determined this Sunday in the second leg of the OFC Champions League final between defending champions Auckland City and two-time consecutive finalists Team Wellington. The big decider will kick off at David Farrington Park in Wellington, New Zealand on 7 May at 13h00 (local time).
Story courtesy of FIFA. For more on the world game visit www.fifa.com