ZURICH: World football’s governing body has set out how the new Intercontinental Cup will work has been set out after a meeting of the FIFA bureau, the heads of the six confederations plus president Gianni Infantino.

The series of five matches kicks off on Sunday and concludes on December 18. The first two matches will take place in the countries of the home teams and the remaining games will be played in Qatar. 

The event kicks off as squeals of protest after player overwork are beginning to be evinced by high profile stars such as Manchester City’s Rodri, Kevin de Bruyne and Liverpool’s Alisson Becker.

For 2024 and beyond, for the first time, more than one team per edition will have the chance to play in a FIFA competition on home soil, with the higher ranked of the two clubs involved in each of the first two matches staging the encounter. This means that more people can see their club in action in a FIFA match in the flesh than ever before. 

In Match 1, the African-Asian-Pacific Cup Play-Off, Al Ain, winners of the AFC Champions League 2023-2024, will play Auckland City, winners of the OFC Champions League 2024, in Al Ain, the United Arab Emirates, on Sunday, 22 September 2024. 

Silverware will be at stake as of Match 2, when the victors from the African-Asian-Pacific Cup Play-Off meet CAF Champions League 2023-2024 winners Al Ahly in Cairo, Egypt, on Tuesday, 29 October 2024 to compete for the African-Asian-Pacific Cup. 

Match 3 – officially named the Derby of the Americas – will take place on Wednesday, 11 December 2024 and will feature Concacaf Champions Cup 2024 winners Pachuca and the eventual CONMEBOL Libertadores 2024 champions, who will be confirmed on 30 November 2024. 

On Saturday, 14 December 2024, the winners of matches 2 and 3 will meet in Match 4 to compete for the Challenger Cup and a place in the final. 

On 18 December 2024, Qatar’s National Day and the two-year anniversary of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ trophy decider between Argentina and France, the Challenger Cup champions will face Real Madrid, winners of the 2023-24 UEFA Champions League, in the FIFA Intercontinental Cup Final (Match 5). 

The road to intercontinental glory

Match number: 1
Name: African-Asian-Pacific Cup Play-Off
Date: 22 September 2024
Clubs: Al Ain (AFC Champions League 2023-2024 winners) v. Auckland City (OFC Champions League 2024 winners)
Location: Al Ain, United Arab Emirates

Match number: 2
Name: African-Asian-Pacific Cup
Date: 29 October 2024
Clubs: Al Ahly (CAF Champions League 2023-2024 winners) v. African-Asian-Pacific Cup Play-Off winners
Location: Cairo, Egypt

Match number: 3
Name: Derby of the Americas
Date: 11 December 2024
Clubs: CONMEBOL Libertadores 2024 winners v. Pachuca (Concacaf Champions Cup 2024 winners)
Location: Doha,Qatar

Match number: 4
Name: Challenger Cup
Date: 14 December 2024
Clubs: Winners of Match 3 v. winners of Match 2
Location: Doha,Qatar

Match number: 5
Name: FIFA Intercontinental Cup Final
Date: 18 December 2024
Clubs: Real Madrid (UEFA Champions League 2023-2024 winners) v. Challenger Cup winners
Location: Doha, Qatar

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