Guide to the 2014 Club World Cup

The prevailing sentiment in Europe is that the Club World Cup does not matter.

With the tournament often being hosted far from European soil, the Club World Cup is usually seen as more of an exhausting burden for the winner of the Champions League than a glamorous opportunity for the team to establish themselves as world champions.

Of course, when the competition features all of seven clubs - only one of which is European, and two of which qualify automatically for the semifinals - this point of view is understandable, particularly when you compare the difficulty of the tournament to that of the Champions League.

That said, the Club World Cup can make for one hell of an entertaining competition, and it provides a stage for some of the planet's top teams outside of Europe. 

In South America the tournament is revered, as it allows the winner of the Copa Libertadores a chance to test itself against Europe's top sides, and claim bragging rights when an upset is sprung. It's a similar deal in Africa and Asia, and to be fair, the Club World Cup means a lot to many European clubs too.

Just look at how Pep Guardiola reacted after guiding Barcelona to the title in 2009, when the Catalan club defeated Estudiantes in the final. Note that no tears were shed when he won the Champions League earlier that year.

With this year's Club World Cup set to kick off on Wednesday, here's a brief overview of the tournament, as well as a glance at the seven sides that will be competing in Morocco and looking to claim their first-ever title.

Schedule

Play-off for quarterfinals

Quarterfinals

Semifinals

Match for fifth place

Match for third place

Final

Clubs

Real Madrid

No introduction is required for the side that most expect to win their first Club World Cup title in Morocco.

The tournament will provide Real Madrid a chance to claim their fourth trophy of a remarkable calendar year - following success in the Champions League, the Copa del Rey, and the UEFA Super Cup - and the opportunity to improve on their one previous appearance in the Club World Cup in 2000, when they finished fourth in the competition's inaugural edition.

Carlo Ancelotti's side qualified as a result of defeating Atletico Madrid in the final of the Champions League, a match in which Sergio Ramos scored a 93rd-minute equalizer before Real Madrid went off in extra time to claim a 4-1 win.

Real Madrid will only have to win two matches to emerge as Club World Cup champions, the first of which will come against the winner of Mexican club Cruz Azul and Australian outfit West Sydney Wanderers FC.

It's safe to assume that Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale, and others will have little difficulty breaking down whatever side they end up facing, and a final between Real Madrid and San Lorenzo is likely on the horizon.

San Lorenzo

After claiming the Copa Libertadores earlier this year, a tournament that had eluded them throughout their 106-year history, San Lorenzo will look to make further history at the Club World Cup by becoming the first Argentine side ever to win the competition.

Standing in the way of a potential final against Real Madrid will be a semifinal against one of Tunisian side ES Setif, Moroccan champions Moghreb Tetouan, and New Zealand's Auckland City FC. There should be no doubt that San Lorenzo can triumph over any of those three sides, particularly with a manager who has experience at the tournament in Edgardo "El Paton" Bauza.

It was Bauza who led Ecuadorian club Liga de Quito to Copa Libertadores glory in 2008 and subsequently carried the side to the Club World Cup final, where they fell 1-0 to Manchester United courtesy of a second-half goal from Wayne Rooney.

Now in charge of San Lorenzo, Bauza will look to make the most of his second appearance at the Club World Cup with a squad that thrives defensively. Aside from a 2-0 loss to Botafogo in the group stage, San Lorenzo never allowed more than one goal throughout this year's Copa Libertadores.

However, having lost centre-backs Carlos Valdes and Santiago Gentiletti, as well as attacking players Ignacio Piatti and Angel Correa, since winning the Copa Libertadores - a common consequence of success in South America - San Lorenzo's form has suffered, and they'll need ensure things improve before taking on a side like Real Madrid.

Cruz Azul

For the first time in four years, Monterrey will not feature at the Club World Cup, as fellow Mexican side Cruz Azul were the ones to claim this year's CONCACAF Champions League title.

The goal that booked Cruz Azul's place in Morocco came courtesy of Mariano Pavone, whose equalizer in the second leg of the final versus Toluca meant that Luis Fernando Tena's side won the CONCACAF Champions League on away goals.

Cruz Azul's hopes of replicating success at the Club World Cup will rely heavily on their core that featured for Mexico at the Men's Olympic Football Tournament in 2012. 'Keeper Jose de Jesus Corona and midfielder Marco Fabian were both part of the squad that won the gold medal in London as Tena patrolled the sidelines.

Should Cruz Azul look to spring a surprise at the Club World Cup, they'll need a win against West Sydney Wanderers to set up a semifinal clash versus Real Madrid.

ES Setif

In a year where Algeria's national team reached the knockout stages of the World Cup and subsequently qualified for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, ES Setif will look to cap off a successful year for Algerian football at the Club World Cup.

Kheireddine Madoui's side qualified for the tournament by claiming their second-ever CAF Champions League title, defeating Congolese squad AS Vita Club on away goals in the final.

ES Setif will be the first Algerian club to ever feature at the Club World Cup, and if they hope to play more than one match, they'll need a goal or two out of El Hedi Belamieri, who finished as the joint top scorer in the CAF Champions League.

West Sydney Wanderers FC

West Sydney Wanderers have existed for barely two years, but having won this year's AFC Champions League, they'll be one of the seven sides competing at the Club World Cup.

To say that the Australian club's rise has been meteoric would be an understatement. 

Even after being formed in April 2012, it took two months for Wanderers to establish their official name, and they somehow reached the final of the A-League in their first two seasons. That allowed them to qualify for the most recent AFC Champions League, where a 64th minute goal from Toni Juric against Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal booked their place in Morocco.

It seems unfathomable that Wanderers' success will continue at the Club World Cup, but the squad appear intent on continuing to disrupt the status quo of football. 

However, before they take the pitch, they'll need to address an apparent pay dispute that's led to players threatening to boycott the tournament.

Auckland City FC

The Club World Cup is nothing new for Kiwi side Auckland City, who will be making a record sixth appearance at the tournament.

While that may seem impressive, keep in mind that Auckland consistently qualify from winning the OFC Champions League, a competition that offers little in the way of depth or quality. They've only ever won two matches at the Club World Cup, both of which came during a surprise run in 2010.

So, what minnow did Auckland defeat in this year's OFC Champions League final to reach their fourth consecutive Club World Cup?

That would be Amicale, a side from the island nation of Vanuatu that fell to Auckland 3-2 on aggregate. 

Just look at Kiwitea Street, the ground where Auckland play that looks something like your local public park.

Bless their souls.

Moghreb Tetouan

Every year, one domestic league winner is lucky enough to qualify for the Club World Cup simply because their country is hosting the tournament.

This year, that club will be Moroccan side Moghreb Tetouan, who won the 2013-14 Botola on the last day of the season. They'll be looking to take advantage of playing on home soil in front of what should be an intimidating crowd for opposing sides.

If Tetouan hope to play more than one match at the Club World Cup, they'll need the most out of forwards Zouhair Naim, who finished as the top scorer in the Moroccan league last season, and Mouhssine Iajour, who has struggled to find the back of the net recently but is clearly eyeing the final, saying, "I hope to get Cristiano Ronaldo's jersey."

Dare to dream, Moghreb Tetouan.

Records