[BBC]Katharine Sharpe - BBC Sport JournalistMon, November 24, 2025 at 10:30 AM UTC·3 min readThe two opening fixtures for the 2025 Fifa Intercontinental Cup have now been played, with Egyptian side Pyramids FC winning both games - but how does the competition work?
The inaugural edition took place in 2024, with Real Madrid beating Mexican side Pachuca in the final in Lusail, Qatar last December.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe annual tournament sees the winners of all six global football confederations compete for the trophy. The six confederations comprise of:
Union of European Football Associations (Uefa)
Confederation of African Football (CAF)
Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF)
South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL)
Asian Football Confederation (AFC)
Oceania Football Confederation (OFC)
All six teams are only guaranteed to play at least once, with the Uefa Champions League winners the only team given an automatic bye to the final.
What is the format?
Real Madrid are the 2024 Intercontinental Cup champions [Getty Images]The five matches in the tournament take place across four stages.
Matches one and two make up the African-Asian-Pacific Cup. The first play-off match of the 2025 contest saw current CAF Champions League winners Pyramids FC host the OFC Champions League winners Auckland City on 14 September, with Pyramids emerging 3-0 victors.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHome advantage is rotated on a yearly basis between African and Asian clubs, with the Egyptian side the hosts in 2025.
The second match saw the first round winners, Pyramids, play the AFC winners, Saudi Arabia's Al Ahli. Pyramids beat Al Ahli 3-1 on 23 September, in doing so being crowned the African-Asian-Pacific Cup champions and progressing to the competition's semi-final.
The remaining three matches will take place in December 2025 in Qatar's Ahmad bin Ali Stadium.
The third game - called the Derby of the Americas – will take place on 10 December between Mexico's Cruz Azul and winners of the 2025 Copa Libertadores, the result of which will be determined following the final between Palmeiras and Flamengo on 29 November.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe semi-final - known as the FIFA Challenger Cup - will see African-Asian-Pacific Cup champions Pyramids take on the Derby of the Americas winners on 13 December, and progress to the final which will be held on 17 December.
Paris St-Germain are automatically in the final after winning the Uefa Champions League.
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