TheFIFA Intercontinental Cup is an annualfootball competition organised byFIFA, the globalgoverning body for the sport. First held in2024, the tournament features the reigning club champions of each of the sixFIFA confederations, contested in aknockout format in which the representative from Europe receives abye to the final.[1]
The tournament concept is closely modelled on the earlier version of theFIFA Club World Cup, which underwent major expansion and restructuring starting with the2025 edition. Although the Intercontinental Cup confers the honorary title of annual "world champions", it is secondary in prestige and significance to the expanded Club World Cup.[2][3][4]Real Madrid are the current holders, having defeatedPachuca 3–0 in the inauguralfinal held in 2024.[5]
On 16 December 2022, theFIFA Council approved the expansion of theFIFA Club World Cup from seven to thirty-two teams beginning in2025.[6] The2023 tournament was therefore the last played under the previous format. However, FIFA reported that confederations expressed the need for the champions of their top club competitions to still play each other annually to "stimulate competitiveness".[7] Therefore, on 14 March 2023, the FIFA Council approved a concept for an annual club competition beginning in 2024, later named as the FIFA Intercontinental Cup. FIFA considers this tournament to be a direct continuation of the FIFA Club World Cup, held from 2000 to 2023.[8]
The competition features a series of intercontinental play-offs between clubs from all confederations except UEFA, whose club receives abye to the final.[9][11][12] If a match is tied after normal playing time,extra time is played. If still tied after extra time, apenalty shoot-out is held to determine the winner.
First round: An OFC representative plays alternately against an AFC or CAF representative. The match, denominated as the "FIFA African–Asian–Pacific Cup play-off", is hosted by a club from a higher-ranked country in theFIFA Men's World Rankings.
Second round: The other AFC/CAF representative (which received a bye) faces the winners of the first round in a match denominated the "FIFA African–Asian–Pacific Cup", hosted by a club from a higher-ranked country in the FIFA Rankings. Elsewhere, the CONMEBOL and CONCACAF representatives face off at a neutral venue in a match dubbed the "FIFA Derby of the Americas".
Play-off: The two second round winners meet at a neutral venue in a match denominated the "FIFA Challenger Cup".
Final: The winners of the play-off face a UEFA representative at a neutral venue in a match denominated the "FIFA Intercontinental Cup" to determine the champions.
The FIFA Intercontinental Cup trophy (golden colour), which has undergone slight changes compared to the oldFIFA Club World Cup trophy presented from 2005 to 2023, and the three secondary intercontinental trophies: the Challenger Cup (white colour), the Derby of the Americas (blue colour) and the African–Asian–Pacific Cup (red colour).
The FIFA Intercontinental Cup trophy is similar in design to theFIFA Club World Cup trophy used from2005 to2023. It features a circular base with six pillars extending upward from it, supporting a globe shaped like a football. The trophy is gold in colour and has a plaque on the base with the name and year of the tournament, which means a new trophy will be commissioned every year. The base is taller than the said Club World Cup trophy.[13]
The three trophies for the earlier rounds of the tournament resemble smaller versions of the main FIFA Intercontinental Cup trophy. The trophies are primarily silver and feature four pillars supporting the globe at the top. The bases' heights are similar to that on the 2005–2023 Club World Cup trophy. The trophies are identical to each other aside from the plaque on the base which says the name of each cup, and the accent colour: red for the African–Asian–Pacific Cup, blue for the Derby of the Americas, and white for the Challenger Cup.[14][15]
The winners of the competition are also entitled to receive theFIFA Champions Badge; it features an image of the trophy, which the reigning champion is entitled to display on its first-team kit only, up until and including, the final of the next championship.[16][17]
In addition to the final, trophies are awarded to the winning teams of the African–Asian–Pacific Cup (contested by the AFC, CAF and OFC representatives), Derby of the Americas (contested by the CONCACAF and CONMEBOL representatives) and Challenger Cup (contested by the winners of the two aforementioned matches).[9]
List of FIFA Intercontinental Cup secondary trophy winners
^"Media and Marketing Regulations for the FIFA Intercontinental Cup 2024"(PDF).FIFA.com. FIFA. p. 10. Retrieved13 June 2025.Each Participating Club acknowledges that the Competition is a continuation of FIFA's annual club competition (formerly known as the FIFA Club World Cup) in line with FIFA's objective and efforts to reformat this competition, which will be renamed as the FIFA Intercontinental Cup from 2024 onwards
Real Madrid (1st title)
2025 FIFA Intercontinental Cup
Mexico
Al Ahly
Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid)
Federico Valverde (Real Madrid)
