FIFA Club World Cup: Man City Stars Haaland, Doku, and De Bruyne to Miss Final Due to FIFA Rule

• Man City beat Urawa Reds 3-0 to book a place in the final of the FIFA Club World Cup
• Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku, and Kevin De Bruyne all missed the Tuesday encounter
• City are scheduled to play Brazil's Fluminense in the final of the tournament on Friday

The Manchester City trio of Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku, and Kevin De Bruyne is set to miss the FIFA Club World Cup final due to a bizarre rule.

City booked a spot in the final on Tuesday, December 19, after stunning Japan's Urawa Reds 3-0 in the semi-final at King Abdullah Sports City.

According to The Guardian, Marius Hoibraten handed City the lead via an own goal on the stroke of half-time before Mateo Kovacic made it 2-0 shortly after the break.

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Bernardo Silva went on to score City's third in the 59th minute to take the game beyond Urawa Reds.

Haaland, De Bruyne, and Doku all watched the tie from the stands due to respective injuries as the EPL giants cruised to the final with ease.

Man City trio to miss final

While the trio was expected to be fit ahead of the final against Fluminense set for Friday, December 22, the three will not play any role in the clash.

This is due to a bizarre FIFA rule which bars any player who did not feature in the semi-final matchday squad from playing in the final.

As such, Pep Guardiola will have to look elsewhere to fill the void as he seeks to add yet another title to City's cabinet.

Be that as it may, the three are expected to feature when the defending Premier League champions resume action against Everton on December 27.

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Meanwhile, Marca reports that Brazilian giants, Fluminense silenced Egyptian titans, Al Ahly 2-0 to reach the final.

Premier League teams in FIFA Club World Cup

Sports Brief previously reported on Premier League teams' past performances in the Club World Cup.

Three English clubs have won this tournament in the past, with Manchester United winning it in 2008.

Liverpool won the competition in 2019, with Chelsea being the most recent English winners in 2021.