Mexican Pachuca qualified for the 2024 Intercontinental Cup after winning the CONCACAF Champions League after defeating Columbus Crew 3-0 in the final.
The Intercontinental Cup competition is scheduled to be an alternative to the Club World Cup in its traditional form, provided that it does not conflict with the upcoming World Cup, which will be held with the participation of 32 clubs in the summer of 2025.
With Pachuca winning the CONCACAF Champions League, and Real Madrid winning the Champions League, they will join Al Ain, the AFC Champions League champion, Al Ahly, the CAF Champions League champion, and Auckland City, the OFC Champions League champion, in the new competition.
All that remains is to determine the identity of the winner of the Copa Libertadores competition in order to complete the tournament, which will happen at the end of next November.
The Intercontinental Cup system
The Intercontinental Cup will be held with the participation of 6 continental champion clubs, but in a different format than the Club World Cup.
The European champion (Real Madrid) will play only one match, which is the final match, and for any of the other five teams to reach the final, there are 3 previous rounds.
The first round will bring together the AFC Champions League champion or the CAF Champions League champion (as determined by the draw) against the OFC Champions League champion, with the match being held in the home ground of the Asian or African champion.
The winner of this match will be a guest of the CAF Champions League champion or the AFC Champions League champion in the second round, while the CONCACAF Champions League champion will meet the Copa Libertadores champion, with the host stadium being determined by lottery.
In the semi-finals, the two winners of the two second-round matches will play one match at a neutral stadium, and the winner will meet Real Madrid at a neutral stadium that will be determined later.
It should be noted that FIFA has not yet announced the date of the Intercontinental Cup matches, but it is expected that the tournament will be held next December or February.
