The key facts
- PSG will play in the Intercontinental Cup final on 16 December at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan — the same stadium where the club won the trophy a year earlier.
- Matches on 9 and 12 December will determine PSG's opponent: Toluca, the Copa Libertadores winner and Mamelodi Sundowns will contest the place in the final.
- Qatar is hosting the tournament's final stage for the third consecutive time; the December matches will coincide in timing with the U-17 Youth World Cup.
The final returns to Al Rayyan
Paris Saint-Germain will return to Qatar in December to defend its Intercontinental Cup title — FIFA's annual tournament among the winners of the six continental confederations. As reported by euronews, the country has been confirmed for the third consecutive time as host of the three concluding matches: qualifying games will take place on 9 and 12 December, and the final will be held on 16 December at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan — the same venue where, a year earlier, PSG won its first trophy in this tournament, beating Brazil's Flamengo on penalties (2-1) after a 1-1 draw in extra time in front of 42,150 spectators.
Who will contest the place in the final
Under the tournament format, the European champion goes straight to the final, and PSG secured that spot by defending its UEFA Champions League title in the 2025-26 season. The French side's opponent will be decided through a chain of three matches. On 9 December at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, Mexico's Toluca, winner of the CONCACAF Champions Cup, will face the Copa Libertadores winner — a name that will only be known after that tournament's final on 28 November. The winner of that tie will play in the 'Challenger Cup' on 12 December at the same venue against South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns, who reached this stage by beating Saudi Arabia's Ahli 2-1 in Pretoria on 19 September in the Africa-Asia-Pacific Cup. Ahli, in turn, opened the tournament on 26 August in Jeddah with a 1-0 win over New Zealand's Auckland City — the euronews article names the club Auckland FC.
Qatar cements its status as a football venue
Qatar already hosted the final stages of the first two Intercontinental Cup editions in 2024 and 2025, and before that the annual Club World Cups of 2019 and 2020. Adding to the load on the country's December calendar: the Intercontinental Cup matches will coincide with the final phase of the U-17 Youth World Cup, which Qatar is hosting from 19 November to 13 December. The outlet separately stresses that the Intercontinental Cup should not be confused with the expanded Club World Cup, which is held every four years.
