Real Madrid to face Pachuca in FIFA Intercontinental Cup 2024 final

Spanish giants Real Madrid will take on Mexico’s C.F. Pachuca in the 2024 FIFA Intercontinental Cup final at the Lusail Stadium in Doha, Qatar, on Wednesday.

The match is set to begin at 10:30 PM Indian Standard Time (IST) and will be available for live streaming in India, News.Az reports.

Real Madrid, as the UEFA Champions League winners, will play against Pachuca, the CONCACAF Champions Cup holders, in this prestigious final.

The format of the tournament sees the UEFA Champions League winners qualifying directly for the final, while the champions of the other five football confederations compete in elimination rounds to determine the second finalist.

Initially launched in 2000 as the FIFA Club World Championship, the competition went on hiatus between 2001 and 2004. It resumed in 2005 under the name FIFA Club World Cup. This year, the FIFA Intercontinental Cup has returned with a revamped format, offering the winners of each confederation an opportunity to claim annual confederation-based titles.

From 2025 onwards, the FIFA Club World Cup will transition into a quadrennial event with 32 teams participating.

Pachuca entered the tournament in the second round and triumphed 3-0 over South American champions Botafogo of Brazil in the "Derby of the Americas." They later faced African-Asian-Pacific champions Al Ahly of Egypt in the third round, the Challenger Cup, where Pachuca goalkeeper Carlos Moreno played a crucial role in securing a penalty shootout victory, with Al Ahly missing three penalties.

Pachuca’s key players, Oussama Idrissi and Salomon Rondón, will be vital in the club's bid for their first major FIFA final title.

Real Madrid will be bolstered by the inclusion of Kylian Mbappe, despite his recent injury that ruled him out of the La Liga match against Rayo Vallecano. The team will also rely on the talents of Vinicius Junior, Federico Valverde, and Jude Bellingham to secure the victory.

News.Az