They qualified for the tournament as the winners of the 2016–17 UEFA Champions League, becoming the first defending champions to qualify for the subsequent tournament, and after defeating Grêmio 1–0 in the final, became the first team to successfully defend the title.

[6] The FIFA Executive Committee was to select the hosts at their meeting in Morocco in December 2014,[7] but the final decision was delayed until the FIFA's executive committee meetings on 19–20 March 2015.

[8] The following countries expressed an interest in bidding to host the tournament:[9] The FIFA Executive Committee officially confirmed the United Arab Emirates as hosts of the 2017 and 2018 tournaments on 20 March 2015 during their meeting in Zürich, Switzerland.

[18][19] The following were key milestones in the organization of the tournament: Each team had to name a 23-man squad (three of whom must be goalkeepers).

[22][23] At the time of the draw, the identity of the teams representing AFC, CAF, and CONMEBOL were not known.