Agency :
European Champions League winners Real Madrid will play in Qatar in the final of the first edition of the annual FIFA Intercontinental Cup, world football’s governing body has announced.
The competition, for club teams from around the world, will have five matches, culminating in the final on December 18, for which the Spanish giants automatically qualify.
The day of the final is also celebrated as Qatar’s National Day while it also marks the two-year anniversary of the 2022 World Cup final where Argentina beat France.
The tournament, which was announced in December last year, replaces the annual Club World Cup which will now be played every four years with 32 teams from 2025.
“The opportunity to host another prestigious football tournament is testament to Qatar’s ability of delivering world-class sport events,” Minister for Youth and Sports, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani said in a statement.
“Two years after the greatest FIFA World Cup in history, we are proud to host the FIFA Intercontinental Cup 2024. We look forward to welcoming some of the greatest players in the world for another great event to showcase the legacy of 2022.”
Asian Champions League winners Al Ain will first host Oceanic Champions League winners Auckland City on September 22 in the African-Asian-Pacific Cup playoff, with the winners set to face African Champions League winners Al Ahly in Cairo on October 29.
The first two games will be on the home turf of the higher-ranked team, allowing locals to watch their club play.
The action then switches to Doha, Qatar, where the 2024 South American Libertadores winners will play Mexican side Pachuca, the winners of the CONCACAF (North and Central America and the Caribbean) Champions Cup, on December 11 – a match described by FIFA as the “Derby of the Americas”.
The winners of these two matches play each other in the Challenger Cup three days later to earn a spot in the Intercontinental Cup Final against Real Madrid on December 18.