UEFA Champions League defending champions and La Liga giants Real Madrid have been told the schedule for a revamped Intercontinental Cup, which is set to become FIFA’s annual club competition.

The defending Champions League winners Real Madrid will qualify automatically for final that will be hosted at Lusail Stadium in Doha set for December 18 in Qatar. Other competitors are set to be confirmed with a match between CONCACAF Champions Cup winners Pachuca and this year’s Copa Libertadores winners, will determine who will face the CAF Champions League winners Al Ahly SC of Egypt in the FIFA Challenger Cup.

The winner of the FIFA Challengers Cup match will produce team that progresses to the Intercontinental Cup final to face Carlo Ancelotti’s side. While the competition will be a chance for Real Madrid to win a silverware, their second this season.

It would also be a return to the venue and an anniversary of the FIFA World Cup loss for Kylian Mbappé who lost on the same ground, at the same venue, on the same date with the French national team to Argentina in December 2022.

Real Madrid have started this season poorly by their own standards has they have lost twice in the UEFA Champions League league phase and are out of the top 10 teams in the standings.

In the La Liga, they currently sit six points behind their arch rivals Barcelona after the lost 4-0 to the Hansi Flick led side in the El Clasico. Nevertheless, Real Madrid won their last game 4-0 against Osasuna and they will hope their outstanding game will help reduce the gap between themselves and table topping Barcelona.

Kylian Mbappé has also had an underwhelming start to life as a Los Blanco player despite scoring six goals in eleven La Liga fixtures but just once in four UEFA Champions League matches.