The reigning club champions of Africa arrived in Qatar on Friday night ahead of the 17th edition of the FIFA Club World Cup™.

Egyptian giants Al Ahly SC qualified for the tournament after winning the CAF Champions League for a record ninth time thanks to a 2-1 victory over Zamalek SC.

On arrival in Doha, players and officials of the Cairo giants underwent COVID-19 testing before departing for their designated hotel. They will remain in a medical bubble throughout the tournament in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Al Ahly SC will enter the tournament at the second-round stage. The nine-time African champions will face Qatari champions Al Duhail SC at Education City Stadium on 4 February (kick-off 20:30).

The Egyptians will face UEFA Champions League winners FC Bayern München in the semi-finals if they beat Al Duhail SC.

Al Ahly SC manager Pitso Mosimane said: “We are delighted to be in Qatar for this exciting tournament. There are many Al Ahly fans in Doha – and we are looking forward to having their support in our match against Al Duhail. This will be a great test for us as we aim to qualify for the semi-finals and a match against Bayern Munich.”

This is the sixth participation of the Cairo giants in the annual competition, which pits together champions from the six confederations, and their first since 2013.

Their best outing was third place in 2006 in Japan, at the time the best finish by an African team.