2024 FIFA Intercontinental Cup dates and venues confirmed: who will Real Madrid play?

FIFA has confirmed that the 2024 Intercontinental Cup final will be played in Qatar, with UEFA Champions League winners Real Madrid given a bye to the final.

What is the FIFA Intercontinental Cup?

The inaugural edition of the tournament replaces the ‘old’ FIFA Club World Cup, with the ‘new’ FIFA Club World Cup set to be played in the United States in June and July 2025, provided a series of factors can be resolved in time.

The 2024 Intercontinental Cup will have four rounds, the first of which will take place on September 22. The second round will be split between October and December, while the playoff, which decides one of the finalists, and the final will be played on December 14 and 18 respectively.

The first two games (the first round and the first second-round tie) will be played in the countries of the home teams, with Qatar to host the second second-round tie, the playoff and the final.

Which teams will play in the 2024 FIFA Intercontinental Cup?

Six teams, the champions of FIFA’s six confederations, will take part in the competition:

Entering in first round

Auckland City (OFC/Ocenania)

Al Ain (AFC/Asia)

Entering in second round

Al Ahly (CAF/Africa)

Pachua (CONCACAF/North, Central America and Caribbean)

CONMEBOL/South America representative TBD

Entering in final

Real Madrid (UEFA/Europe)

2024 FIFA Intercontinental Cup fixtures and dates

Auckland City will play Al Ain in the first round, with the OFC and AFC champions getting the tournament underway this coming Sunday (September 22). The winner progresses to face Al Ahly in the first second-round game on October 29.

The other second-round tie will see the winner of the Copa Libertadores take on Pachuca on December 11.

The two victorious teams will contest the playoff (December 14), which will determine who Real Madrid face in the final (December 18).

Which seven trophies could Real Madrid win in 2024/25?

The LaLiga giants’ participation in the Intercontinental Cup, as well as the FIFA Club World Cup, means they could potentially win seven trophies this season.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side have already got their hands on one, lifting the UEFA Super Cup in August. They will also be aiming to win LaLiga, the Champions League, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup.

Madrid will only have to play one match in the tournament, so the inconvenience of travelling to Qatar in the middle of the season may be more demanding than the on-field action itself. FIFA hasn’t yet revealed which stadium will host the final, although Lusail Stadium north of Doha, which hosted the 2022 World Cup final, is the favourite.