Manchester City are Champions of Europe, and in beating Inter Milan to win the Champions League they have now unlocked two opportunities to become Champions of the World.
City completed an incredible Treble by adding the Champions League to the Premier League and FA Cup, cementing their position as the best club side in Europe. Many see City as the best in the world, and they will get the chance to prove that at the end of the year having qualified for the FIFA Club World Cup.
Before that, City will face Europa League winners Sevilla in Athens on August 16 in the UEFA Super Cup, competing in that fixture for the first time. City beat Sevilla twice, scoring seven goals, in the Champions League group stage this year.
Then, in December, they travel to Saudi Arabia to compete in the FIFA Club World Cup, where the best clubs from each continent take part in a 10-day tournament to be crowned the world's best.
That tournament takes part from December 12 to 22, although City won't enter until the semi-final stage as champions of Europe.
The exact round dates of the tournament are yet to be confirmed, although there will be first and second rounds before City enter the semi-finals.
Already qualified are Oceania Champions League winners Auckland City and Suadi Arabian champions Al-Ittihad, who will compete in the first round on December 12. The winner of that tie will enter the second round, with a draw to determine who faces who.
Japanese side Urawa Red Diamonds won the Asian Champions League, Leon of Mexico won the CONCACAF Champions League, and the African Champions League final takes place on Sunday between Moroccan side Wydad AC and Al Ahly of Egypt. The three qualifying sides will complete the second round and compete for a semi-final spot against City and the winner of the Copa Libertadores.
That team won't be confirmed until November, and City would avoid the South American qualifier until the final.
If City were to miss out on becoming world champions, they would get a second chance in 2025, when the expanded Club World Cup takes place in June and July of that year.
Expanding from seven teams in its current format, the new tournament will see 32 teams compete, with 12 qualifiers coming from Europe. Four of those sides will come from the Champions League winners in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024, meaning City are guaranteed a spot alongside Chelsea and Real Madrid.
The remaining spots will go to the sides with the best overall coefficient from the qualifying period. There will be six South American teams, four each from North America, Asia and Africa, and one apiece from the host nation and Oceania. No host country has been allocated for the tournament yet.
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