Liverpool’s matches at the FIFA Club World Cup have had a change of venue less than two weeks before their semi-final match.
They are due to fly out to Qatar after their Premier League clash against Watford on December 14.
The semi-final involving them was due to be played at Education City, which has primarily been built for the 2022 World Cup.
However, the opening of the stadium has been delayed until the start of 2020 and Liverpool will now play at the Khalifa International Stadium, which is where the final will be played too.
Despite this blunder, organisers stress that the Education City Stadium is ready.
The delay of the venue’s opening has been put down to being unable to schedule the test events required when new stadiums are opened.
Changing the venue shouldn’t affect Liverpool’s plans or supporters going to the match as the stadiums are a 15-minute drive apart with both situated to the west of Doha.
A FIFA statement said: “Khalifa International Stadium, the home of Qatar’s national team, will host three additional matches during the FIFA Club World Cup 2019 after the official opening of Education City Stadium was postponed until early 2020.
“Construction at Education City Stadium is complete and the venue is now operational.
“However, the necessary certification process took longer than expected and therefore the stadium was unable to host the required test events prior to the semi-final and final of the FIFA Club World Cup at full capacity.
“The priority is to ensure an enjoyable experience for all fans so it was decided to open the stadium at a later date.”
Tickets – which are not sold out – are valid for the fixtures now at Khalifa Stadium and information will be sent out to fans in due course.
The FIFA statement continued: “Fans who successfully applied for tickets to match six and the double-header of matches seven and eight will not be impacted – all their tickets will be automatically issued to Khalifa International Stadium, and their seats will be allocated within the same price category.
“The date and time of those matches will remain as previously indicated in the match schedule.
“In due course, all successful ticket applicants will receive a dedicated email with further information, including details of how and when to download the tickets from their account on FIFA.com/tickets.
“The use of tickets remains subject to the General Terms and Conditions, the Stadium Regulations and the applicable Ticket Sales Regulations.”
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