(CNN)Less than six weeks after the national team's remarkable performance at the World Cup, Morocco finds itself at the center of world soccer as it hosts the FIFA Club World Cup.
Since 2005 the Club World Cup has been held annually, featuring the six winners of each continent's equivalent to Europe's Champions League tournament, plus an additional club from the host nation.
Over the last decade, European teams have dominated the tournament, last losing a match when Brazilian club Corinthians beat Chelsea in the 2012 final. Fourteen-time European Cup winner Real Madrid will enter the 2023 competition as heavy favorites.
Unlike the World Cup where there is a group stage, the clubs play a straight knockout tournament with the caveat that various continents qualify for different stages of the tournament.
The champion of Oceania plays the host club in the first round. The winner is then drawn with the champions of Africa, Asia and North America in two knockout games. The winner of each game then plays the European and South American champions in the semifinals.
Because Wydad Casablanca is both the champion of Morocco and Africa, the role of "host" passes to Egyptian club Al Ahly who lost to the Moroccan team in the final of the African Champions League in May.
Wydad enters the tournament at t