Intercontinental Cup 2026: Al Ahli face Auckland City in opening tie

The 2026 FIFA Intercontinental Cup begins on Wednesday, 26 August, with Al Ahli Saudi taking on Auckland City before the winners face African champions Mamelodi Sundowns. Paris Saint-Germain, the European champions, will enter the competition in the final.

The annual tournament, introduced by FIFA to replace the yearly version of the Club World Cup, brings together the champions of six confederations. The Club World Cup has instead been expanded to 32 teams and will be staged every four years, with the first edition in the United States.

FIFA’s Council approved the new competition on 14 March 2023. It revived a global contest between continental champions after a 20-year absence, following the expansion of the Club World Cup from 2025.

The competition takes its name from the former intercontinental Club World Cup, last played in 2004 between the winners of the UEFA Champions League and Copa Libertadores. The UEFA Champions League winners receive a direct place in the final, while the other teams progress through earlier rounds and a semi-final.

Format and host venues

The tournament has four stages:

– Africa-Asia-Pacific Cup: Al Ahli Saudi play Auckland City in Saudi Arabia, with the winners then travelling to South Africa to meet Mamelodi Sundowns. – Americas Derby: Deportivo Toluca face the 2026 Copa Libertadores winners, who have not yet been decided. – Challenge Cup: The winner of the Africa-Asia-Pacific Cup meets the Americas Derby winner. – Final: Paris Saint-Germain face the Challenge Cup winners.

Unlike the traditional Club World Cup, the 2026 competition will not be held in one country. Early-round matches will take place at the home stadiums of the participating clubs. The Americas Derby, semi-final and final will be staged in a single country, which has not yet been announced.

Al Ahli Saudi were the first team to qualify after winning the 2025-2026 AFC Champions League Elite on 25 April 2026. Auckland City won the 2026 OFC Champions League on 20 May, while Mamelodi Sundowns claimed the 2025-2026 CAF Champions League against AS FAR on 26 May.

Paris Saint-Germain won the 2025-2026 UEFA Champions League against Arsenal on 30 May, and Deportivo Toluca secured the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup on the same date. The Copa Libertadores champion will be confirmed on 28 November 2026.

Fixtures and broadcast details

| Match | Date and venue | Result | |||| | Al Ahli Saudi v Auckland City | Wednesday, 26 August 2026, 21:00 Saudi Arabia, 22:00 UAE – Alinma Stadium | 0-1 | | Mamelodi Sundowns v Al Ahli Saudi | Saturday, 19 September 2026, 16:00 Saudi Arabia, 17:00 UAE – Loftus Versfeld | 1-2 | | Deportivo Toluca v Copa Libertadores winners | Date and venue to be confirmed | – | | Challenge Cup: winner of match three v Mamelodi Sundowns | December 2026 | – | | Final: Paris Saint-Germain v Challenge Cup winners | December 2026 | – |

MBC will broadcast Al Ahli Saudi’s opening match against Auckland City on MBC Action and the MBC Shahid app. The broadcaster for the later stages has not been confirmed; previous editions were shown by beIN SPORTS.

Real Madrid won the inaugural edition in 2024, beating Pachuca, before Paris Saint-Germain defeated Flamengo in the 2025 final.

The previous stage winners were Al Ahli Saudi and Pachuca in 2024, and Pyramids and Flamengo in 2025. Pachuca won the 2024 Challenge Cup, while Flamengo lifted it in 2025.