FIFA Intercontinental Cup 2025: Complete Match Schedule and Team Lineup Revealed
The revamped FIFA Intercontinental Cup brings together six defending champions from every major continental club tournament to compete for prestigious silverware at year's end.
The victors of the UEFA Champions League, Copa Libertadores, Concacaf Champions Cup and all other current titleholders of the top continental competitions across FIFA's six confederations compete for the championship.
The updated format of this tournament launched in 2024, with Real Madrid claiming the trophy through a dominant 3–0 triumph over Pachuca in the final. Since Los Blancos relinquished their Champions League title in May, they will not compete in the 2025 Intercontinental Cup, creating an opportunity for a new champion to emerge.
What Is the FIFA Intercontinental Cup?
The FIFA Intercontinental Cup is the competition that replaced the previous FIFA Club World Cup format. The inaugural 32-team Club World Cup took center stage during summer 2025 and will occur every four years, while the Intercontinental Cup remains an annual tournament held at the calendar year's conclusion.
Each match in the FIFA Intercontinental Cup follows a single-elimination format. The competition opens with the FIFA African-Asian-Pacific Cup, where champions from Africa, Asia and Oceania's confederations compete for advancement to the tournament's semifinal stage.
The FIFA Derby of the Americas features the Concacaf Champions Cup champion against the Copa Libertadores champion, with the winner advancing to face the African-Asian-Pacific Cup victor in the FIFA Challenger Cup. The champion of that encounter then faces the defending Champions League titleholders in the Intercontinental Cup final.
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 is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 17. The match will be held at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, a venue that hosted seven games during the 2022 World Cup.
Paris Saint-Germain awaits the FIFA Challenger Cup winner in the final, seeking to capture 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 champions, receive automatic placement in the Intercontinental Cup final due to the competitive strength and historical prestige of European football's premier club tournament.
This means Luis Enrique's squad needs to clear just one obstacle to secure another trophy—final victory would complement the Ligue 1, Coupe de France, French Super Cup and UEFA Super Cup titles they've captured this calendar year.
Who's Won the Most FIFA Intercontinental Cups?
An annual FIFA Intercontinental club tournament has existed since 1960, with various format modifications occurring throughout that period.
In 2005, the competition merged with the Club World Cup, but has returned to its original structure following FIFA's decision to transform the latter into a quadrennial 32-team format.
Real Madrid stands as the sole official champion of the current Intercontinental Cup format, and historically holds the most titles with four. AC Milan, Boca Juniors and two Uruguayan rivals, Peñarol and Nacional, claimed three under the previous format, but only Madrid's current championship is recognized in the present lineage.
How Is the Club World Cup Different?
The Club World Cup began a new chapter in 2025, with the inaugural 32-team edition of the competition held on American territory.
Unlike the five-match Intercontinental Cup, the updated Club World Cup adopts the former Champions League and World Cup structures. Eight groups of four teams where the top two progress to knockout stages beginning with the round of 16.
Chelsea defeated Paris Saint-Germain in the 2025 Club World Cup final to become the inaugural champions of the competition's new format.
The Club World Cup will occur every four years, presumably serving as preparation for the World Cup the following year. Meanwhile, as previously noted, the Intercontinental Cup will continue annually.
As continental champions, all six teams participating in the annual Intercontinental Cup also receive automatic qualification for the subsequent Club World Cup edition. Consequently, Auckland City FC, Al Ahli, Pyramids FC, Cruz Azul, Flamengo and PSG will compete in the 2029 Club World Cup.