Neither, imo. I'd say Club America winning 3-0 in Rio in the second leg of the Copa Libertadores round of 16 to win 5-4 on aggregate, overcoming a 4-2 home loss in the first leg. Then they beat Santos in the quarterfinal before losing in penalties to the eventual winners of the Libertadores.
2024 FIFA Intercontinental Cup M1 | 22.09.24 | Al Ain - Auckland City 6:2 (Playoff) - Highlights M2 | 29.10.24 | Al Ahly - Al Ain 3:0 (African-Asian-Pacific Cup) - Highlights M3 | 11.12.24 | Botafogo FR - CF Pachuca 0:3 (Derby of the Americas) - Highlights M4 | 14.12.24 | CF Pachuca - Al Ahly (Challenger Cup) M5 | 18.12.24 | Real Madrid - Winner M4 (Final) It's the third time Al Ahly meets the Concacaf representative in the last four years: 2021 CWC: Al Ahly - Monterrey 1:0 2022 CWC: Seattle Sounders - Al Ahly 0:1 And if you remember, they beat Monterrey with a "B team" due to the AFCON overlap. Al Ahly are arguably the biggest club outside Europe and South America. With something like ten participations, their biggest competitive "stain" is never having played in the final. This is their best chance to date to do so...
Game on between Pachuca and Al Ahly… Stands much more lively now that the “home team” has joined the action.
No goals at halftime in a physical and intense match. Al Ahly has been the more dominant side but los tuzos are hanging in there.
Pachuca advance in an absolute nail-biter of a penalty shootout! Al Ahly just can’t take that last step to the final.
That's two Concacaf teams that have made the Final now, write it down The Spanish-language BeIN Sports commentators brought up the near-universal truth of the team going first in the PK shootout having a slight advantage... so why the hell did Al-Ahly's keeper win the coin toss and defer??
And neither of them was Club America. Infantino awarding the “Challenger Cup” in an emptied stadium. Players posing with the Americas Cup and Challenger Cup. Having all these cups is certainly a bit silly.
Forgot to mention it before the match, but this was supposed to be Al Ahly’s revenge against Pachuca for 2008. Where Al Ahly, wait for it, had a two-goal lead (and not just in penalties) and let the game slip away. That one too went to extra time. I wonder if today’s VAR would have called back Al Ahly’s third. That looked pretty close. Pachuca progressed to face Ecuador’s LDU Quito in the semis but lost 2:0. Due to Pachuca’s 2006 Copa Sudamericana title many of us predicted at the time they would be the first non-South American finalist to challenge the European champions. Well, los tuzos made it. 16 years later.
Well this whole tournament is a bit.... erm, it reminds me of Little League Baseball World Series with the USA champion v rest of World champion. This tournament with Real Madrid going straight to the final, and other teams having home field advantage in one off games.... with that said, FIFA - take my money! Going to the final on Wednesday regardless. Kind of glad Pachuca make it as they certainly had to do it the hard way, no home field advantage, no byes... with that said, saw this displayed at a mall today - don't think this is the final the organizers were hoping for
Is the Lusail capacity still at 88K? May not sell out without Al Ahly. Although it being Qatar national day should help.
2024 FIFA Intercontinental Cup M1 | 22.09.24 | Al Ain - Auckland City 6:2 (Playoff) - Highlights M2 | 29.10.24 | Al Ahly - Al Ain 3:0 (African-Asian-Pacific Cup) - Highlights M3 | 11.12.24 | Botafogo FR - CF Pachuca 0:3 (Derby of the Americas) - Highlights M4 | 14.12.24 | CF Pachuca - Al Ahly 0:0 / 6:5 PSO (Challenger Cup) - Highlights M5 | 18.12.24 | Real Madrid - CF Pachuca (Final) Pachuca are the 7th non-South American "challenger" in the final: 2010: Inter Milan - TP Mazembe 3:0 2013: Bayern Munich - Raja Casablanca 2:0 2016: Real Madrid - Kashima Antlers 4:2 AET 2018: Real Madrid - Al Ain 4:1 2020: Bayern Munich - UANL Tigres 1:0 2022: Real Madrid - Al Hilal 5:3 Only Kashima really flirted with an upset. Real Madrid tied their last league match before travel 3:3 against Rayo Vallecano and have been injury-ridden. But Pachuca will have to find a whole other gear to stand a chance. The last time Real Madrid failed was in 2000, when Real Madrid lost the Intercontinental Cup and finished fourth in the Club World Cup.
Hmm.. maybe, maybe not though. There will be other things to do other than football on that day. Some may want to see the fireworks, many just want to avoid the traffic and chaos altogether, many may travel out of the country for the 4 day weekend. My brother just got a couple today. All tickets are for sale atm, even category 3, the lowest ones going for 200 riyals ($55) are available. If they had the traditional double header with the 3rd place match on the other hand....
Real Madrid arrive in Doha, but with several hours delay due to a plane malfunction: https://realmadridconfidencial.com/...l-madrid-flight-from-doha-to-intercontinental
And there it is… Mr. International finals goalscorer breaks the 0-0, making it 3 out of 3 world titles that he has scored in (WC 2018, WC 2022, Intercontinental 2024)
Pachuca started well, but Real Madrid just took the lead thanks to a Mbappe goal. Good crowd at Lusail but not the sellout it would have been with Al Ahly.