Paris Saint-Germain will travel to Qatar in December to defend their FIFA Intercontinental Cup title, after the Gulf state was confirmed as host of the tournament's final stage for a third consecutive year. The French champions, who won the UEFA Champions League last season, will enter the competition directly in the final, scheduled for 16 December at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan.
The organisers announced on Thursday that the other two matches will take place on 9 and 12 December, with the venue for the final being the same stadium where PSG lifted the trophy last year. The tournament brings together the champions of FIFA's six continental confederations, with Europe's representative receiving a bye to the final.
Road to the final
Before PSG take the pitch, three clubs will compete for the right to face them. On 9 December, Mexico's Toluca, winners of the Concacaf Champions Cup, will meet the Copa Libertadores champions in the so-called Derby of the Americas at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha. The winner of that match will then face South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns in the Challenger Cup on 12 December at the same venue.
Sundowns earned their place by defeating Saudi Arabia's Al Ahli 2-1 in Pretoria on 19 September to win the African-Asian-Pacific Cup. Al Ahli had opened the tournament with a 1-0 victory over New Zealand's Auckland FC in Jeddah on 26 August. The South American representative will be decided in the Copa Libertadores final on 28 November.
Last December, PSG beat Brazil's Flamengo 2-1 on penalties after a 1-1 draw following extra time, securing their first Intercontinental Cup in front of 42,150 spectators at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium. The French side, led by their star-studded lineup, will be aiming to become the first club to win back-to-back titles in the competition's short history.
The Intercontinental Cup is FIFA's annual competition for the champions of its six continental confederations, separate from the expanded Club World Cup, which is held every four years. Qatar hosted the final stages of the first two editions in 2024 and 2025, having previously staged the 2019 and 2020 editions of the former annual Club World Cup.
For European football fans, the tournament offers a chance to see continental champions from outside Europe compete against the best of the UEFA Champions League. The presence of PSG, with their global appeal, is expected to draw significant attention, particularly in the Gulf region, where football has become a major cultural and economic driver.
Qatar's continued hosting of the event underscores its ambition to remain a central hub for international sport, building on its experience from the 2022 World Cup. The country has invested heavily in stadium infrastructure and hospitality, and the Intercontinental Cup provides another opportunity to showcase its capabilities. As the tournament approaches, all eyes will be on Doha and Al Rayyan, where the world's club champions will battle for continental supremacy.
