TOKYO: Hundreds of Japanese fans showed up at the crack of dawn to greet Real Madrid as they arrived in Japan on Monday to contest the Club World Cup.

Led by Cristiano Ronaldo, the European champions arrived shortly after 5:00 am and were met by about 300 fans at Tokyo's Haneda airport before boarding a team bus.

Zinedine Zidane's team will hold a practice session later on Monday in Yokohama as they prepare for Thursday's semifinal clash with Mexico's Club America.

Madrid set a new club record after a 35th consecutive match without a loss by beating Deportivo La Coruna 3-2 on Saturday.

They return to the competition with 13 of the players who lifted the Club World Cup title in 2014, when they beat San Lorenzo in the final.