MENA Sports Wrap: Benzema's Al-Ittihad are the big Arab hope in FIFA Club World Cup

Will Al-Ittihad's Karim Benzema face Manchester City wonderkid Erling Haaland this winter? Well, not until at least the final of the FIFA Club World Cup, due to take place in Jeddah on 22 December.

The tournament, often dismissed by football fans in Europe as a 'mickey mouse cup', sees continental trophy winners from across the world converge in one city for a seven-team FIFA-sanctioned tournament.

The Arab world's hope this year is Jeddah's Al-Ittihad, who enter the tournament with some of the biggest names in the world of football in their ranks following a summer spending spree.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia stepped into the world of Mixed Martial Arts by purchasing a minority stake in the Professional Fighters' League. 

Hosts Al-Ittihad selected for FIFA Club World Cup place

The FIFA Club World Cup draw took place this week with Saudi Pro League champions Al-Ittihad picked to face New Zealand side Auckland City in the first round of the tournament.

The tournament, which will be held in Jeddah from 12 to 22 December, will see some of the world's top sides competing for the trophy. Hosts Al-Ittihad will enter the league with a host of new players including current French internationals Karim Benzema and N'Golo Kante, along with Brazil star Fabinho.

If the Jeddah club makes it to the final they will face favourites Manchester City and a clash between veteran Ballon d'Or holder Benzema, 35, and City's young hope Erling Haaland, 23, is one many football fans will be hoping to see.

Despite their all-star line-up, Al-Ittihad currently resides in third place in the Saudi Pro League having missed out on a chance to clinch the top spot following a loss to Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Hilal last Friday.

No Arab side has ever won the trophy although the Morocco side Raja Casablanca took second place in 2013, the UAE's Al-Ain were runners-up in 2018, and Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal reached the final in the last tournament.

With huge names now in the Al-Ittihad squad, the host team stands a good chance of clinching their first FIFA Club World Cup, although Egyptian giants Al-Ahly are also in with a shout.

FIBA Basketball World Cup: South Sudan qualify for 2024 Paris Olympics

A spellbinding run at the FIBA Basketball World Cup by South Sudan has seen them qualify for the Olympic Games in Paris next year for the first time ever.

The Bright Stars beat Angola 101-78 on 2 September to secure themselves a place at one of the sporting world's most prestigious tournaments.

South Sudan as a nation gained independence in 2011, and the team only played their first match six years ago, but in an unbelievable maiden Basketball World Cup run, they beat three teams - Angola, the Philippines, and China.

Only one Olympic ticket from the Basketball World Cup was available for an African team. South Sudan needed nearest challengers Egypt to lose their match against New Zealand for their Olympic dream to become a reality. Egypt were defeated, but only by the narrowest of margins - by 88 to 86.

Despite the victories, South Sudan did not qualify for the knockout round of the Basketball World Cup. Zero out of five Middle Eastern or North African teams at the tournament - Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon and South Sudan - managed to make it out of the group stages.

Saudi Arabia's PIF steps into MMA 

Saudi Arabia has boosted its presence in the world of combat sports with a minority stake in the US-based Professional Fighters League (PFL) mixed martial arts (MMA) franchise.

The acquisition by the Public Investment Fund-owned (PIF) SRJ Sports cost a reported $100 million, according to The Financial Times.

"This investment aims to nurture the local and regional talent pool in martial arts, promote gender equality in sport, and bring new opportunities directly to Saudi Arabia and the wider MENA region," said SRJ chairman Bandar bin Mogren in a statement on 30 August.

PFL chief executive Peter Murray hailed the investment as the beginning of bigger things to come for the sports franchise.

"PFL and SRJ share the same vision for mixed martial arts – the biggest star fighters, mega global events, and global expansion to bring the sport to all regions – so we are thrilled and honored to have SRJ as our investment partner," Murray said.

Unlike rival fighting promotions like the UFC and Bellator, the PFL runs on a sports-season format.

The deal will also see SRJ invest in a regional league for the Middle East, which is set for launch in the second quarter of 2024. The MENA league will be one of six regional franchises around the world.

News of Saudi Arabia’s latest foray into combat sports comes in the run up to a heavyweight boxing bout between lineal UFC champion Francis Ngannou and Lineal Heavyweight Champion and WBC World Heavyweight Champion Tyson Fury, which will take place in Riyadh on October 26.

MMA fighter Ngannou, who has never fought a professional boxing bout, is currently signed to the PFL and is set to fight in the league in 2024.

The PFL is also home to Saudi fighters Abdullah al-Qahtani and Mostafa Rashed Neda, who won high-profile bouts in New York’s Madison Square Gardens earlier this month.