Intercontinental Cup: Format, teams involved and what to know about FIFA's new tournament

As if there wasn't already enough football lasered into our eye sockets, FIFA have announced plans for a new continental cup competition in 2024.

The tournament, named the Intercontinental Cup, will start next year and is set to "strengthen continental sporting rivalries" as teams compete for an annual title.

With the FIFA Club World Cup set for a bumper expansion in 2025, the Intercontinental Cup appears set to replace the old competition, with a remarkably similar set up and format.

While some details regarding the new competition are yet to be announced, here is the lowdown on FIFA's plans.

When will the Intercontinental Cup take place & teams involved?

Set to commence for the first time between 14-18 July 2024, the Intercontinental Cup will be an annual tournament that is set to feature teams from all six continental football federations.

Much like the current Club World Cup, the competition will be made up of the Champions League (or equivalent) winners from Oceania (OFC), Africa (CAF), Asia (AFC), South America (CONMEBOL), North America (CONCACAF) and Europe (UEFA). However, the exact identity of those teams won't be known until next year.

"The tournament will feature all current confederation premier club competition champions," said FIFA president Gianni Infantino during the announcement of the Intercontinental Cup.

Intercontinental Cup format

Stage A

The Intercontinental Cup is made up of three different stages. Stage A sees the OFC Champions League winners face off against either the AFC or CAF Champions League winners on an alternating basis.

The winner of that tie will face either the AFC or CAF Champions League winners - depending on which side was chosen for the opening game.

Stage B & play-off

The CONCACAF Champions Cup winners and CONMEBOL's Copa Libertadores champions will then take on one another over a one-legged tie, the winners entering a play-off against the team that progresses from Stage A.

Final

The winner of the play-off will then come up against the Champions League winner in the last two, meaning a European side is guaranteed in the final of the competition every year.

The final and play-off will be hosted at a selected neutral venue, but previous stages will be hosted by one of the clubs involved in the match. For the first Intercontinental Cup, hosts will be chosen via a random draw, with venues then chosen on an alternate basis by continent.

Criticism of the Intercontinental Cup

The Intercontinental Cup, alongside the revised Club World Cup that will be a month-long summer tournament, has drawn criticism from many corners amid the ongoing debate about the sheer volume of football played in the modern game.

Speaking about the tournaments, footballers' trade union FIFPro said: "The expanded competition [Club World Cup] will undercut the rest and recovery time of these players at the end of the 2024-25 season, and further disrupt national employment markets by changing the balance between national and international competitions.

"Players will have to perform at the end of an 11-month season with little prospect of getting enough rest before the following season starts.

"The extreme mental and physical pressures at the pinnacle of the game is the principal concern of players with multiple club and national team competitions, leading to exhaustion, physical injuries, mental health issues, diminished performance, and risks to career longevity."

There has already been significant voiced concern over the vast amount of football that is now played, with players at the top of the game particularly overworked due to their club and national team commitments.

These extra and largely uncalled for tournaments also have a huge environmental impact. That is likely to be even more pertinent when it comes to the Intercontinental Cup given the travelling that will be involved in the early stages of the competition.

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