Tahiti's AS Pirae to take part in Fifa Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi

Auckland City's withdrawal from tournament due to new restrictions in New Zealand force change

Fifa president Gianni Infantino with the Club World Cup trophy. Reuters

AS Pirae from Tahiti have been added to the roster of the Fifa Club World Cup UAE 2021 following the withdrawal of Auckland City FC.

The football governing body announced that delayed reopening of the borders in New Zealand due to the ongoing pandemic, as well as the reintroduction of the mandatory 'managed isolation and quarantine' system upon returning to the country, meant Auckland City had to pull out of the tournament.

As a result, AS Pirae were nominated as the Oceania Football Confederation's representative for the Abu Dhabi competition, which runs from February 3-12.

AS Pirae will join Monterrey, Chelsea, Palmeiras, Al Hilal, Al Ahly, as well as UAE champions Al Jazira.

Abu Dhabi is set to host the tournament for fifth time. The UAE previously held the Club World Cup in 2009, 2010, 2017 and 2018. The tournament was supposed to take place in Japan, but the Japan Football Association withdrew due to the pandemic.

All matches will take place at two stadiums in the UAE capital - the Mohamed bin Zayed Stadium and Al Nahyan Stadium.

Match tickets for the tournament are now on sale. Fans can now secure match passes on Fifa's website by using a Visa card, with the offer open until 12pm (UAE time), January 7. Tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Prices range from Dh20 for a Category 4 ticket, up to Dh200 for a Category 1 ticket for the final. Remaining tickets, if any, will then be sold following the Visa presale.