How Paris Saint-Germain claimed their first global title in Qatar
In short: In a tournament designed to crown the world's best, the 2025 FIFA Intercontinental Cup delivered a dramatic conclusion. While giants like Real Madrid fell early, a new champion emerged from the bracket, proving that single-elimination football remains the ultimate test of prestige and pressure.
The 202 and 2025 FIFA Intercontinental Cup, sponsored by Aramco, served as the second edition of FIFA's annual club competition. Held between 14 September and 17 December 2025, the tournament brought together six continental champions in a high-stakes, single-elimination format. The final stages concluded at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar.
The path to the trophy was a complex web of regional playoffs. The tournament began with the 'FIFA African–Asian–Pacific Cup play-off,' pitting the CAF Champions League winners against the OFC Men's Champions League winners. Success in this round led to a second-round clash with the AFC Champions League Elite winners. Simultaneously, a separate bracket featured the 'FIFA Derby of the Americas,' a neutral-site match between the winners of the Copa Libertadores and the CONCACAF Champions Cup.
The tournament's narrative was defined by the absence of the previous year's champions. Real Madrid, the defending titleholders, were unable to participate in a title defense after their exit from the 2024–25 UEFA Champions League at the hands of Arsenal. This opened the door for Paris Saint-Germain, the eventual UEFA champions, to navigate the 'FIFA Challenger Cup' and ultimately defeat Flamengo in the final.
Beyond the main trophy, FIFA honored the winners of the various sub-tournaments—the African–Asian–Pacific Cup, the Derby of the Americas, and the Challenger Cup—with specialized trophies featuring distinct globe colors. This structure, approved by the FIFA Council in late 2023, sought to maintain the spirit of the former Club World Cup while adapting to a new, annual-based competition model.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: 2025 FIFA Intercontinental Cup
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