The inaugural edition of the FIFA Intercontinental Cup for club teams will consist of five matches, with European champions Real Madrid slated to compete in the final on December 18 in Doha, FIFA announced on Friday.
The tournament, revealed last December, replaces the annual Club World Cup, which will transition to a larger, 32-team format held every four years starting in 2025.
The action kicks off on September 22, when Al Ain, winners of the AFC Champions League, will host Auckland City, champions of the OFC Champions League, in the African-Asian-Pacific Cup playoff.
The winner of that match will meet CAF Champions League champions Al Ahly in Cairo on October 29.
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The first two matches will take place on the home ground of the higher-ranked team, giving local fans a chance to support their clubs on home soil.
Subsequently, the tournament will shift to Doha, where the 2024 CONMEBOL Libertadores champions will clash with Mexican side Pachuca, winners of the CONCACAF Champions Cup, in what FIFA has dubbed the “Derby of the Americas” on December 11.
Winners of these matches will then compete in the Challenger Cup on December 14, with the victor advancing to face Real Madrid in the Intercontinental Cup final on December 18.
This date coincides with Qatar’s National Day and marks the second anniversary of the 2022 World Cup final, where Argentina famously triumphed over France.
