Fifa Intercontinental Cup: What is it and is it just the Club World Cup?
When Fifa announced the expansion of the Club World Cup and its move from mid-season to the end of spring football fans thought they’d be done with a random week in December seeing them compete half-way around the world.
But it appears as if a competition with a similar format to the old Club World Cup has surfaced: the Fifa Intercontinental Cup.
This is the first season it will be played and features the six clubs who won their continental cup competitions, such as the Champions League.
Its official title is the Coupe Intercontinentale de la FIFA and it begins on Sunday when Auckland City takes on Al Ain in the United Arab Emirates.
The winner of that fixture will take on Al Ahly in Cairo on 29 October.
The play-off will be between the winner of that match and the winners of a fixture between Mexican side Pachuca and the CONMEBOL champions (currently beginning their quarter-final phase) on 11 December.
The final will see the winner of the play-off take on Champions League holders Real Madrid on 18 December at a neutral venue.
Fifa Intercontinental Cup plans
The details were approved in December last year with it determined that the final would always feature the winners of the Champions League – in this case Real Madrid.
This is a change from the Club World Cup, where both the Champions League winners and CONMEBOL champions got a bye through to the final four.
It is understood the issues surrounding player welfare and the number of matches players must play in Europe have been negated by allowing the European side to go straight into the final, thus adding just one match to their season schedule, and reducing their participation since 2023 from two games to one.
Fifa insists that outside of Europe there is an appetite for the Fifa Intercontinental Cup and that it’s a continuation of a format well received by fans across the world.
Where Real Madrid play the final is yet to be known, but the reduction of games for European sides from two to one could be undone if they’re forced to travel to the Far East or West Coast for a one-off game.