Liverpool will contest the semifinal of the Club World Cup on December 18, bidding for a place in the final three days later, it has been confirmed.

The Reds have qualified for the Qatar competition by virtue of winning last season's UEFA Champions League.

They are the first English entrants since Chelsea in 2012.

Free passage to the semifinal is already secure, but they will have to wait to learn the identity of their opponents.

Jurgen Klopp's side will face the winner of a match between CF Monterrey (Mexico) and Al Sadd SC (Qatar), Hienghene Sport (New Caledonia) or the AFC Champions League runners-up.

More on the potential opponents

Monterrey enter the competition in the second round after winning the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League.

The Liga MX side beat domestic rivals UANL in the final to win the competition for a fourth time.

Their manager, Diego Alonso, represented Valencia and Atletico Madrid as a player, but has not coached outside Latin America.

Notable players include striker Vincent Janssen, who joined from Tottenham Hotspur in the summer.

Al Sadd enter at the first stage as hosts, unless they go on to win the AFC Champions League, in which they case they will qualify for Round Two.

They have reached the quarterfinals at the time of writing.

Hienghene Sport, meanwhile, won Oceania's equivalent of the Champions League, just two years after making their debut in the competition.

They are only the second Oceanian team outside of Australia or New Zealand to compete in the Club World Cup.

How will the competition affect Liverpool's domestic schedule?

The Reds' final game before they head to the Middle East is a home tie against Watford on December 14.

The final and third-place playoff take place on the same day that they were due to face West Ham United at the London Stadium.

That game will be postponed to a midweek slot later in the season.

Holding a game in hand could alter the dynamic of the likely title battle with Manchester City