Wydad Casablanca plays its first match in Club World Cup

CAIRO – 9 December 2017: Wydad Casablanca, who won the African Champions League, faces the Mexican club CF Pachuca on Saturday, December 9, at 03:00 p.m. (CLT) at the FIFA Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates at Zayed Sports City stadium.

Achraf Bencharki and Walid El Karti, Wydad Casablanca`s midfielders, should be able to express the full extent of their talent to win, as Raja Casablanca did in 2013.

After its historic victory in the Champions League against Al-Ahly, Wydad Casablanca is in the UAE to participate in its first FIFA Club World Cup which opened on Wednesday with a match between Al-Jazeera from UAE and Auckland City from New Zealand. The match ended with a 1-0 victory to Al-Jazeera.

Wydad goes straight to the quarter-finals on Saturday in a clash against Mexican club CF Pachuca, hoping to reach the final and face the Spanish giants Real Madrid, the tournament's favorite.

Wydad Casablanca will want to do as well as their great rival in Morocco, Raja Casablanca, who had almost created the feat by standing up to Real Madrid, in the first edition of the Club World Cup in early 2000 in Sao Paulo, Brazil before losing 3-2.

In Marrakech, in 2013, Raja reached the final, they participated in the tournament as a host, to face Bayern Munich, coached then by Pep Guardiola, which ended by a (2-0) loss.

“Yes, we are lucky to play in the UAE,” said Hussein Amotta, Wydad’s manager, on Friday. “I have lots of confidence that, not only the Moroccan community, but the whole Arab community will be supporting Wydad.

"We have seen that among African clubs when we play outside. We hope to do our best and make our supporters happy,” he continued.

CF Pachuca, a Mexican club, participates in the Club World Cup for the fourth time and provides the opportunity to build upon what they have reached before.

Pachuca reached the semi-finals in 2008 but they lost in their opening matches in 2007 and 2010.