Flamengo defeated Palmeiras in the 2025 Copa Libertadores final at the Estadio Monumental in Peru and secured a ticket to contest the Derby of the Americas against Cruz Azul, who were crowned champions of the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup after defeating the Vancouver Whitecaps.
The Derby of the Americas between Cruz Azul and Flamengo will be played on December 10th at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Doha. The winner of this match will advance to the 2025 FIFA Challenger Cup on December 13th against Pyramids FC of Egypt.
The Egyptian team secured their place after defeating Auckland City 3-0 on September 14th in the Africa-Asia-Pacific Qualifiers, and then beat Al-Ahli 3-1 later that month, earning the Africa-Asia-Pacific Cup and the ticket to the 2025 FIFA Challenger Cup.
The winner of the 2025 FIFA Challenger Cup between Pyramids FC and Flamengo will secure the ticket to the highly anticipated 2025 FIFA Intercontinental Cup Final, where the Champions League winner, PSG, are patiently waiting for their opponent.
History of the FIFA Intercontinental Cup
Following the creation of the new 32-team FIFA Club World Cup, which adopted a format similar to the World Cup, the traditional FIFA Intercontinental Cup was initially retired to adapt to the new schedule.
However, the confederations expressed to FIFA the ongoing need for the champions of their main club competitions to still face each other annually. Therefore, FIFA approved an annual club competition starting in 2024, which was subsequently named the FIFA Intercontinental Cup.
This will be the second edition of the FIFA Intercontinental Cup, which will once again be staged in Qatar. In the previous edition, Real Madrid were crowned champions after defeating Pachuca of Mexico with a convincing 3-0 in the final, making them the current sole champion in the history of this reformed tournament.