The new-look FIFA Intercontinental Cup sees the six reigning champions of every major continental club competition battle it out for a chance of silverware to end the year.
The winners of the UEFA Champions League, Copa Libertadores, Concacaf Champions Cup and all other current holders of the premier continental tournaments in FIFA’s six confederations have a shot at the title.
The new version of the competition started in 2024, with Real Madrid lifting the trophy with a comfortable 3–0 victory over Pachuca in the final. With Los Blancos vacating their Champions League crown back in May, they won’t participate in the 2025 Intercontinental Cup, opening the door for a new champion to be crowned.
What Is the FIFA Intercontinental Cup?
The FIFA Intercontinental Cup is the tournament that succeeded the old version of the FIFA Club World Cup. The inaugural 32-team Club World Cup took centre stage in the summer of 2025 and will be played every four years, whereas the Intercontinental Cup will continue to be an annual event that takes place to close out the calendar year.
Every single match in the FIFA Intercontinental Cup is a straight elimination bout. The tournament begins with the FIFA African-Asian-Pacific Cup, with the three champions from Africa, Asia and Oceania's confederations battling it out for a place in the tournament’s semifinal.
The FIFA Derby of the Americas pits the Concacaf Champions Cup winner against the Copa Libertadores winner, and they go on to meet the winner of the above in the FIFA Challenger Cup. The victor in that clash then goes on to contest the Intercontintal Cup with the reigning Champions League holders.
2025 FIFA Intercontinental Cup: Full List of Matches, Schedule
| Round | Match | Date |
|---|---|---|
| FIFA African-Asian-Pacific Cup Play-Off | Pyramids FC 3–0 Auckland City FC | June 30, 2025 |
| FIFA African-Asian-Pacific Cup | Al Ahli 1–3 Pyramids FC | Sept. 23, 2025 |
| FIFA Derby of the Americas | Cruz Azul 1–2 Flamengo | Dec. 10, 2025 |
| FIFA Challenger Cup | Pyramids FC vs. Flamengo | Dec. 13, 2025 |
| FIFA Intercontinental Cup Final | Paris Saint-Germain vs. TBD | Dec. 17, 2025 |
When Is the 2025 FIFA Intercontinental Cup Final?
The FIFA Intercontinental Cup final will take place on Wednesday, Dec. 17. The game will be played at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, a venue that hosted seven matches during the 2022 World Cup.
Paris Saint-Germain await the winner of the FIFA Challenger Cup in the final, aiming to conquer the tournament for the first time.
Why PSG Are Already in the 2025 FIFA Intercontinental Cup Final
Paris Saint-Germain, the 2024–25 Champions League winners, are immediately placed into the Intercontinental Cup final because of the competitiveness and historical ranking of European football’s primary club competition.
It means Luis Enrique’s side only need to overcome one hurdle to pick up another trophy—victory in the final would add to the Ligue 1, Coupe de France, French Super Cup and UEFA Super Cup crowns they have won this calendar year.
Who's Won the Most FIFA Intercontinental Cups?
Some sort of annual FIFA Intercontinental club competition has been around since 1960, with various changes to the format occuring over that time.
In 2005, the tournament merged with the Club World Cup, but things have reverted back to how they were after FIFA’s decision to expand the latter into a four-yearly 32-team format.
Real Madrid are the only official winners of the current Intercontinental Cup iteration, and historically have won the most titles with four. AC Milan, Boca Juniors and two Uruguayan rivals, Peñarol and Nacional, won three under the old banner but only Madrid’s current reign is recognised in the current lineage.
How Is the Club World Cup Different?
The Club World Cup entered a new era in 2025, with the first ever 32-team edition of the tournament taking place on U.S. soil.
Unlike the five-game Intercontinental Cup, the new version of the Club World Cup follows the previous Champions League and World Cup formats. Eight groups of four teams where the top two advance to the knockout rounds that begin with the round of 16.
Chelsea defeated Paris Saint-Germain in the 2025 Club World Cup final to become the first ever champions of the new version of the competition.
The Club World Cup will be held every four years, presumably as a warm up for the World Cup the following year. Meanwhile, as mentioned previously, the Intercontinental Cup will be held every year.
As continental champions, all six teams that participate in the Intercontinental Cup every year are also granted direct qualification intp the next edition of the Club World Cup. As a result, Auckland City FC, Al Ahli, Pyramids FC, Cruz Azul, Flamengo and PSG will participate in the 2029 Club World Cup.
READ THE LATEST SOCCER NEWS, TRANSFER RUMORS AND MATCH REACTION
This article was originally published on www.si.com as 2025 FIFA Intercontinental Cup: Full List of Matches, Schedule, Teams Involved.
