The FIFA Intercontinental Cup is a planned annual international men's association football competition organised by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The first edition is scheduled to take place in 2024. The competition will feature the club champions of the six confederations of FIFA, and will be played as a knockout tournament with the European team receiving a bye to the final.[1]
| Organising body | FIFA |
|---|---|
| Founded | 14 March 2023 |
| Region | International |
| Number of teams | 6 |
| Related competitions | FIFA Club World Cup |
 2024 FIFA Intercontinental Cup | |
History
editOn 16 December 2022, the FIFA Council approved the expansion of the FIFA Club World Cup from seven to thirty-two teams beginning in 2025.[2] The 2023 tournament was therefore the last played under the previous format. However, confederations expressed to FIFA the need for the champions of their top club competitions to still play each other annually to "stimulate competitiveness".[3] Therefore, on 14 March 2023, the FIFA Council approved a concept for an annual club competition beginning in 2024, later named as the FIFA Intercontinental Cup. It will feature the champions of the top club competitions of the six confederations of FIFA, namely the AFC Champions League, CAF Champions League, CONCACAF Champions Cup, Copa Libertadores, OFC Champions League and UEFA Champions League.
The inaugural edition of the tournament is scheduled to take place in December 2024.[4]
Format
editThe competition will feature a series of intercontinental play-offs between clubs from all confederations except UEFA, whose club will receive a bye to the final.[5][6]
- First Round: The AFC/CAF representatives will host the OFC representative. A draw will be held to determine which confederation's representative will play this round in the first edition — the confederations will alternate every edition thereafter.
- Second Round: The other AFC/CAF team will host the winners of the first round. Elsewhere, the CONCACAF and CONMEBOL representatives will compete. A draw will be held to determine which confederation's representative will host the first edition — the confederations will alternate every edition thereafter.
- Third Round: The two second round winners will face each other in a neutral venue.
- Final: The third round winners will face the UEFA representative in the same neutral venue.
References
edit- ^ Straus, Brian (14 March 2023). "FIFA Confirms Four-Team Groups for 2026 World Cup, New Club World Cup Qualification". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
- ^ "FIFA World Cup 2022 praised for its "unique cohesive power"". FIFA. 16 December 2022. Archived from the original on 16 December 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
- ^ "FIFA Council approves international match calendars". FIFA. 14 March 2023. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
- ^ Nair, Rohith (17 December 2023). "Club World Cup set for June-July 2025, new Intercontinental Cup in 2024". Reuters. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
- ^ Nair, Rohith (14 March 2023). "FIFA approves 2026 World Cup format with record 104 matches". Reuters. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
- ^ "World Cup 2026: Fifa switches back to four-team group format". BBC Sport. 14 March 2023. Retrieved 14 March 2023.