The Intercontinental Cup, the legendary competition that until 2004 pitted the champions of Europe and South America against each other, returns in 2024 with a new format, now under the protection of FIFA and with five clubs already classified out of the six that will compete in the tournament.
It is a contest that will pit the six champions of each of the confederations that exist on the football planet against each other and that will replace the ‘gap’ in the calendar left by the Club World Cup that was previously held every December and that, now, It will be played every four years in the summer.
The FIFA Intercontinental Cup will have several venues and will be played in different windows starting in 2024, 20 years after the last champion of this trophy: Porto of Portugal.
The qualified clubs won the Champions League of each of the six confederations: Africa (CAF), Asia (AFC), Europe (UEFA), North, Central America and the Caribbean (Concacaf), Oceania (OFC) and South America (Conmebol) .
All clubs participating in the 2024 FIFA Intercontinental Cup therefore also have a place at the FIFA Club World Cup USA 2025.
The only pending ticket will come from Conmebol, with the team that wins the 2024 Copa Libertadores, which has just finished its Group Phase.
Auckland City is already in the first round and its rival will be Al-Ahly or Al-Ain, which will be determined by draw, while the other team that is not drawn will go directly to the second round, where it will be measured to the winner of the aforementioned first round for a ticket to the Playoff.
On the other side, Pachuca and the champion of the 2024 Copa Libertadores will face each other. The winner will go to the Playoff to face the winning team of the key between Auckland City, Al Ahly or Al-Ain.
The winner of that Playoff will face Real Madrid in the Grand Final, a team that qualifies directly for this instance.
The Playoff will take place on December 14, while the Grand Final will be held on December 18, both games at a neutral venue and yet to be defined.
