Paris Saint-Germain and Flamengo will meet Wednesday in the 2025 FIFA Intercontinental Cup final, a clash of continental champions at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, with kickoff set for 8:00 p.m. local time.
UEFA Champions League winners PSG advance straight to the final, while Copa Libertadores holders Flamengo earned their place the hard way, beating Cruz Azul 2-1 in the second round before dispatching Egypt’s Pyramids 2-0 in the playoff.
The trophy was last lifted by Real Madrid, who thrashed Pachuca 3-0 in last year’s final.
For PSG, it is a first appearance in the Intercontinental Cup final and another test in a season that has proven tougher than their near-clean sweep a year ago.
Luis Enrique’s side missed out on a maiden world title over the summer, losing 3-0 to Chelsea in the Club World Cup final, and they trail Lens by a point in Ligue 1 after 16 matches.
Still, Les Parisiens arrive in Qatar on a three-match unbeaten run across all competitions, keeping two clean sheets, and have taken points in eight of their last nine games away from the Parc des Princes – albeit with four draws in that span.
Qatar has brought PSG luck before.
Their last cup final in the country sparked a golden stretch, a 1-0 win over Monaco in Doha to claim the Trophée des Champions before three more trophies followed later that year.
Wednesday marks only their second competitive meeting with a Brazilian club, after a 1-0 loss to Botafogo in the Club World Cup group stage this summer.
Flamengo, by contrast, are no strangers to global ambition.
The Rio de Janeiro club are one win from a second Intercontinental Cup title, having famously dismantled Liverpool 3-0 in Tokyo in 1981.
Under Filipe Luis, Mengao are chasing a fourth world trophy and a third of the year, already adding the Challenger Cup and the Derby of the Americas to a remarkable haul that also includes the Copa Libertadores and Brasileirao Serie A – both secured within a single, stunning week.
Form favors the Brazilians.
Flamengo have lost just once in competitive play since November and are unbeaten in their last three away matches.
This will be their first competitive meeting with a French side.
At the Club World Cup, they split results against Europe, beating eventual champions Chelsea 3-1 before exiting to Bayern Munich in a 4-2 defeat.
Team news could play a role. PSG will be without Achraf Hakimi due to an ankle injury, while goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier is expected back and Ousmane Dembélé returns to eligibility after missing the weekend win over Metz.
Gonçalo Ramos, Quentin Ndjantou Mbitcha and Desire Doue all scored in a narrow 3-2 league victory that kept PSG’s momentum intact.
Flamengo are likely to miss Allan with a heel problem, while striker Pedro is doubtful because of a forearm issue. In the semifinal against Pyramids, Leo Pereira and Danilo struck early, and Agustin Rossi produced two saves to seal the clean sheet.
