Pay-TV operator StarTimes has acquired exclusive media rights for FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2017 & 2018 in Sub-Saharan Africa. 

FIFA Club World Cup is an international club football tournament between the champion clubs from each of the six continental confederations as well as the national league champion from host country, which in 2017 and 2018 will be United Arab Emirates. 

StarTimes is the leading digital-TV operator in Africa, serving more than 10 million subscribers through its DTT and DTH platforms with 480 authorized channels. On 30 March, StarTimes had been granted media rights for 2018 FIFA World Cup as well as all 2017-2018 FIFA events. 

Vincent Yu, StarTimes Media Division Chief Operating Officer, said: “We are glad to offer the only world club tournament on an exclusive basis to our subscribers in Africa. We are very excited because this is a unique opportunity for football fans to see the best clubs from each continent, including Real Madrid, play one against another.”

The FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2017 will see seven clubs play a total of eight title-deciding matches from Wednesday 6 until Saturday 16 December in Zayed Sports City, Abu Dhabi and Al Ain's Hazza Bin Zayed stadiums. All matches will be broadcasted live on channel ST World Football. 

Five out of seven teams have already qualified for the world’s biggest club football competition. Among the first to book their spot in the FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2017 were CAF champion Wydad Casablanca from Morocco, Mexico's Club World Cup veterans Pachuca and New Zealand's Auckland City. 

After their UEFA Champions League triumph on 3 June, Club World Cup holders Real Madrid will have the chance to defend their global crown and be the first club to win two consecutive titles, while the AFC and CONMEBOL champions will be on board at the end of November.