Qatar's Education City Stadium not to host Club World Cup games

Qatar's Education City Stadium will not host matches during the FIFA Club World Cup this month after the official opening of the venue was postponed until early 2020, soccer's world governing body said in a statement on Saturday.

FIFA said the construction of the stadium was complete and the venue was operational but the necessary certification processes took longer than expected and the stadium was unable to host test events.

The Education City Stadium was due to host three games in the Dec. 11-21 event, including a semi-final involving European champions Liverpool on Dec. 18 as well as the third-place playoff and the final. The Khalifa International Stadium will now host those matches.