Intercontinental Cup explained as PSG face Flamengo in Doha final | OneFootball

PSG face Flamengo at 18:00 in Doha in the FIFA Intercontinental Cup final, the second staging since the 2024 overhaul. The tie pairs the Champions League holders with the Copa Libertadores winners, who beat Palmeiras 1-0 last month.

L'Équipe notes that the reworked event borrows from the old Club World Cup but retains neither its format nor its name, now assigned to a four-yearly tournament won in July by Chelsea, 3-0 against PSG. Real Madrid won last year, 3-0 over Pachuca.

This campaign began on 14 September when Pyramids, Africa’s champions, beat Oceania’s Auckland City 3-0. A week later they defeated Asia’s Al-Ahli 3-1 to reach the semi-finals.

With the Libertadores final on 29 November, Flamengo entered late. After lifting the trophy, they beat Cruz Azul 2-1 on 10 December, then Pyramids 2-0 three days later to book this final.

So Flamengo play a third match in seven days, while the European champions qualified directly without a game. Under the Club World Cup, European sides were also protected, but began at the semi-final stage.

Officially titled the FIFA Intercontinental Cup, it is distinct from the Intercontinental Cup staged from 1960 to 2004 between Europe and South America. That earlier contest was two-legged before moving in 1980 to a one-off match in Japan.

Source: L'Équipe