Intercontinental Cup

The Intercontinental Cup, variously known as the World Club Championship, European/South American Cup or Toyota Cup, is a football trophy endorsed by UEFA and CONMEBOL, contested between the winners of the European Champions' League and the South American Copa Libertadores in one single match. It takes place in late November or mid December at the Yokohama International Stadium, Japan.

From 2005 FIFA have announced that the Intercontinental Cup will be replaced by the FIFA Club World Championship.

History

The Intercontinental Cup was created by Henri Delauney as a way of determining the best team, clubwise, between two continents, Europe and South America.
The idea couldn't be simpler; the best European team should play against the best South American team. But this posed a problem.

At the time, there was already a competition to decide Europe's finest, the European Champions Club Cup. South America was lacking a similar competition which meant that the Intercontinental Cup wasn't viable.

So, as a response to the European Champions Club Cup and the Intercontinental Cup demand, the South American Copa Libertadores was created. This new South American cup had the same purpose as the European version. The Intercontinental Cup was now viable.

In 1960 the first competition was contested between European champions Real Madrid and South American champions Peñarol. Since then, many problems have occurred but the competition has learned to survive.

In the late sixties and throughout the seventies the Intercontinental Cup plunged into a crisis. South Americans, with their very aggressive and violent playing style were responsible for many fights, both in and off the pitch (especially the Argentinians of Estudiantes). Many players were sent off and many were severely injured.

Because of the violence and fear of injuries, several European champions declined to play in the Intercontinental Cup. Instead, the runners-up took their place. In 1975 and 1978, the matches were not played at all.

Fortunately, since 1980 with the intervention of Toyota, the matches have been played on a neutral ground and no club has declined playing the cup ever since.

Cup Format

The competition has been contested since 1960. It has always been played between the winners of the Champions League (former European Champions Club Cup) and the South American Copa Libertadores.

From 1960 to 1979, the Intercontinental Cup was played in two-legs, home and away.
Between 1960 and 1968, the cup was decided on points and not on aggregate score or away goals. Wins were worth 2 points, draws 1 point and defeats 0 points (a draw and a win were enough to win the cup). Because of this format, a third playoff match was needed when both teams were tied on points.

From 1969 to 1979, the Intercontinental Cup changed to a new and more appropriate format. The point system was discarded; the aggregate score and the number of away goals were now the decisive factor.

But the competition was still not at rest. Once again, the Intercontinental Cup changed its format. From 1980 onwards, Toyota began sponsoring the event and the cup moved to a new stage: Tokyo, Japan. Since then, the Intercontinental Cup has always been played in one single match.

From 1980 to 2000 the Intercontinental Cup was held at Tokyo's National Stadium. Since 2001 it has been held at the Yokohama International Stadium, venue of the 2002 World Cup final.

Intercontinental Cup finals

Single match finals

Two-legged finals

aet - after extra time

External links

• Official Competition Website (http://www.toyotacup.com)

de:Weltpokal ja:トヨタ ヨーロッパ/サウスアメリカカップ sv:Interkontinentala cupen