FIFA unveils Intercontinental Cup schedule with Real Madrid to play final in Qatar

Intercontinental Cup schedule unveiled by FIFA (Image Reuters)

The first edition of the annual FIFA Intercontinental Cup for club teams from around the world will have five matches, with European Champions League winners Real Madrid to play in the final on Dec. 18 in Doha, the world soccer body said on Friday. The tournament, which was announced in December last year, replaces the annual Club World Cup which will now be played every four years with 32 teams from 2025.

AFC Champions League winners Al Ain will first host OFC Champions League winners Auckland City on Sept. 22 in the African-Asian-Pacific Cup playoff, with the winners set to face CAF Champions League winners Al Ahly in Cairo on Oct. 29. The first two games will be on the home turf of the higher-ranked team, allowing locals to watch their club play.

The action then switches to Doha, Qatar, where the 2024 CONMEBOL Libertadores winners play Mexican side Pachuca, the winners of the CONCACAF Champions Cup, on Dec. 11 -- a match described by FIFA as the "Derby of the Americas".
The winners of these two matches play each other in the Challenger Cup three days later to earn a spot in the Intercontinental Cup Final against Real Madrid on Dec. 18.

The day is celebrated as Qatar's National Day while it also marks the two-year anniversary of the 2022 World Cup final where Argentina beat France.