In addition to agreeing on the details of the Club World Cup, which from 2025 will be expanded to 25 teams, FIFA confirmed, as approved by its Council in March 2023, the creation of an annual club competition to be renamed the Intercontinental Cup, like the old tournament where the champions of Europe and South America meet each season.
In this Cup, where the first edition will be played in 2024, The champions of the club competitions of the major confederations will participate and conclude in a final at a neutral venue between the winner of the UEFA Champions League and the winner of the intercontinental qualifiers between clubs from other continents .
The competition system
Phase A of the new Intercontinental Cup will consist of two rounds. Initially, alternatively, the Asian champion (AFC) or the African champion (CAF) will receive the Oceanian champion. The winners will go on to compete against the AFC or CAF representatives, as the case may be.
In the first edition, the AFC or CAF team in the first round will be decided by a draw. The organizing rights for that preliminary tie will be shared between them, so each will play one match in their stadium. From then on they will alternate each year.
In phase B, the Concacaf champion will face the winner of the Copa Libertadores in a match. The host will be determined by lottery and hosting rights will rotate annually thereafter.
The winners of the two previous stages will face the winner of the European Champions in the days before and at the same neutral venue as the final.
The dates
The dates of the first round have been scheduled after consultation with the clubs, the penultimate round will be played on December 14 and the final on the 18th.
The Club World Cup, played every four years, is held at the end of the season, while the Intercontinental Cup is in December.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
