MIAMI, Florida – 2023 Concacaf Champions Cup winners Club Leon of Mexico will make their 2023 FIFA Club World Cup debut on Friday with a quarterfinal match-up against Urawa Red Diamonds of Japan at the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

It marks the first ever appearance for Club Leon in the Club World Cup. The Liga MX side earned their place in the tournament by virtue of their 3-1 aggregate victory against Los Angeles FC in the Final of the 2023 Concacaf Champions Cup.

It is the first time that a Mexican club has appeared in the Club World Cup since Monterrey’s appearance in the 2021 edition when they finished in Fifth-Place.

Club Leon will take on an Urawa Red Diamonds side that is making its third appearance in a Club World Cup. The previous two participations for the Japanese club in the tournament were in 2007 and 2017. On neither occasion did Urawa Red Diamonds play against Concacaf opposition.

Urawa Red Diamonds qualified for the 2023 Club World Cup as champions of the 2022 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League.

The last time that a team from Concacaf faced an AFC opponent in the Club World Cup was in the 2020 edition when Liga MX side Tigres defeated Ulsan Hyundai 2-1 in the quarterfinals.

Tigres would go on to make history and become the first Concacaf club to reach a Club World Cup Final, an achievement that Club Leon will attempt to equal in Saudi Arabia.

Among the players leading the way for Club Leon on Friday will be FW Brian Rubio, MF Angel Mena, MF Elias Hernandez and MF Fidel Ambriz.

Mena scored three goals in the 2023 Champions Cup, while Rubio and Hernandez each had two. Ambriz collected the Best Young Player Award for his excellent performance in the tournament.