Europe's champions skip straight to the final of FIFA's newest club tournament
In FIFA's Intercontinental Cup, the club champions of five confederations battle through a ladder of play-offs, each with its own trophy, for the right to meet Europe's champion, who waits in the final. Paris Saint-Germain hold the title after beating Flamengo on penalties in the 2025 final.
The competition exists because of a bigger one. On 16 December 2022, FIFA's council voted to expand the Club World Cup from seven teams to 32 starting in 2025, which turned that event into a large, occasional tournament. Confederations still wanted their champions to meet every year, so on 14 March 2023 the council approved a new annual contest, later named the Intercontinental Cup. FIFA treats it as the direct continuation of the old Club World Cup played from 2000 to 2023, and its winner carries the title of annual world champion.
The name echoes an older trophy. From 1960 to 2004, UEFA and CONMEBOL ran their own Intercontinental Cup, usually a meeting between the champions of Europe and South America. FIFA's version instead gathers the winners of six continental club competitions, from the Copa Libertadores and CONCACAF Champions Cup to the Asian, African and Oceanian championships and the Champions League.
The format is a staircase. Oceania's representative first plays an Asian or African club, with the winner facing the other of those two in the African–Asian–Pacific Cup. Meanwhile the South American and North American champions meet in the Derby of the Americas. The two winners then contest the Challenger Cup, and the survivor faces the European champion at a neutral venue. Tied games go to extra time and then penalties, as happened in 2025 when PSG and Flamengo finished 1–1 before PSG won the shoot-out 2–1.
The inaugural edition ran from September to December 2024, with the final stages staged in Qatar. The gold main trophy stands on six pillars holding a football-shaped globe, and a fresh one is made every year. The earlier-round trophies are smaller silver versions with coloured accents: red, blue and white. Winners may wear a champions badge on their shirts until the next final.
Source: FIFA Intercontinental Cup
