The first edition of the planned annual new Intercontinental Cup of FIFA for club teams from around the world will have five matches, with the winner of the European Champions League Real (Madrid) playing directly in the final on December 18 in Doha, the world football organization announced on Friday, BTA reported.
The tournament, which was announced last December, replaces the annual Club World Cup, which has now become the 32-team Club World Cup. The start is in 2025, and this new tournament will be held once every four years.
Asia Champions League winner Al Ain will first host Oceania Zone Champions League winner Auckland City on September 22 in a play-off of sorts involving the African, Asian and Pacific champions. The winner will face African Champions League leaders Al Ahly (Egypt) in Cairo on October 29.
The first two matches will be at the home ground of the higher ranked team, allowing locals to watch their club play. The action then moves to Doha, Qatar, where on 11 December the 2024 CONMEBOL Libertadores winners will play Mexico's CONCACAF Champions Cup winners Pachuca in a match described by FIFA as the "Derby of the Americas".
The winners of these two matches play each other in the Challengers Cup tournament three days later to earn a place in the Intercontinental Cup final against Real Madrid on 18 December. The day is celebrated as Qatar's national holiday, while also marking two years since the country hosted the World Cup in 2022.