Captain Carles Puyol (centre) lifts the Club World Cup on Sunday to round off an incredible year for Barca, after the European champions’ 4-0 defeat of Santos
Africa will host the Fifa Club World Cup for the first time in 2013 and then again in 2014, Fifa has confirmed.
North Africans Morocco were the sole bidders for the event and received official confirmation on Saturday.
“We were given a presentation by the Moroccan Federation and I expect the tournament will be excellent in all aspects – logistical, cultural and financial,” said Fifa’s Sepp Blatter.
The award comes after previous failures by Morocco to stage the World Cup.
The event in two years’ time will mark the first time that Africa has ever staged the Club World Cup.
The decision continues the world governing body’s policy of taking tournaments to new venues after Russia was awarded the 2018 World Cup and Qatar the 2022 event.
The competition has been held in Brazil, Japan and the United Arab Emirates since it was started in 2000.
This year’s tournament ended on Sunday, when European champions Barcelona thumped their South American counterparts Santos 4-0 to win the trophy for the second time in three years.