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European champions Real Madrid to play in Doha on December 18

Doha will host three matches of the 2024 FIFA Intercontinental Cup — which will feature a new format that will include standalone competitions between champions of six different continental federations — FIFA announced on Friday evening.

The final, scheduled to be held in Doha on December 18, which is Qatar National Day and also the second anniversary of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, will feature European champions Real Madrid as one of the two teams.

The new tournament, first announced in December 2023, will replace the annual Club World Cup, which will now be held every four years with the participation of 32 teams and starting in 2025.

FIFA, in a statement, said the 2024 Intercontinental Cup will kick off on September 22 and end in Doha on December 18. The competition will feature five matches. While the first two will be held in the home teams’ countries, the remaining three will be held in Doha.

The first of the five matches will be the African-Asian-Pacific Cup Play-Off, where 2023-24 AFC Champions League winners Al Ain, from the UAE, will play New Zealand’s Auckland City, winners of the 2024 OFC Champions League. The game will be held in Al Ain on September 22.

The winners of the first match will meet 2023-24 CAF Champions League winners Al Ahly, from Egypt, on October 29 for the African-Asian-Pacific Cup.

The third match of the competition, officially named the Derby of the Americas, will take place on December 11. It will feature Mexico’s 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup winners CF Pachuca, and the eventual 2024 CONMEBOL Libertadores Cup champions, who will be decided on November 30.