Al Ain set for Intercontinental Cup opener: What’s the tournament all about?
New tournament will see Real Madrid enter in the final
Al Ain FC and Auckland City will open the new FIFA Intercontinental Cup on Sunday, and you likely wouldn’t be alone if you’re wondering what the tournament is all about.
At a time when players around the world are reportedly on the verge of striking due to an ever-expanding schedule, FIFA has introduced yet another tournament that feels remarkably familiar.
In reality, this ‘new’ competition is simply a rebranded version of the FIFA Club World Cup in its previous format.
With the revamped Club World Cup—officially known as the Mundial de Clubes FIFA—set to take place every four years starting in 2025 and featuring 32 teams from six different federations, FIFA decided the Intercontinental Cup was needed to "strengthen continental sporting rivalries," as described on their website.
Much like last year’s Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia, the competition will be made up of continental champions from Oceania (OFC), Africa (CAF), Asia (AFC), South America (CONMEBOL), North America (CONCACAF) and Europe (UEFA).
However, unlike the Club World Cup, the competition will not be held in one single location during a specific period.
Instead, the four rounds of tournament will take place across the world, with this weekend’s first round kicking off at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium – home of Al Ain FC, the reigning champions of the AFC Champions League.
Going forward, the OFC representative will always feature in the first round, but the continental champions of the AFC and CAF will alternate each year, meaning the CAF Champions League winners will compete from the first round next season, while the AFC Champions League winners enter the competition in the second round.
Confusing? It gets a bit simpler from here.
The winner of Al Ain vs. Auckland City will move on to face CAF Champions League holders Al Ahly in the second round, with that match scheduled for October 29 at Cairo International Stadium.
In the other second-round tie, CONCACAF Champions Cup winners Pachuca will discover their opponents after the Copa Libertadores final on November 30. That second-round match will be held on December 11.
The winners of these two ties will then advance to a play-off at a neutral venue, yet to be decided, on December 14. The victor will face UEFA Champions League winners Real Madrid at the same neutral venue four days later.
In short, it’s nearly identical to the old Club World Cup format, with the main differences being the matches aren’t held in one location, and the UEFA Champions League winners get a direct pass to the final instead of the semi-final.
Did we really need this tournament? Probably not. But it does give Al Ain a chance to avenge their 4-1 loss to Real Madrid in the 2018 Club World Cup final—if they can make it to the trophy showdown in December.