Under-20 Intercontinental Cup

The Under-20 Intercontinental Cup (Spanish: Sub-20 Intercontinental, Portuguese: Intercontinental de Sub-20) is a football match organised by CONMEBOL and UEFA. The match is contested by the winners of the South American and European youth club competitions, the U-20 Copa Libertadores and UEFA Youth League, respectively.[1][2] Organised as an annual one-off match, it is a youth competition equivalent to the former Intercontinental Cup, which featured the senior club champions of Europe and South America. The competition was launched in 2022 as part of a renewed partnership between CONMEBOL and UEFA. Portuguese side Benfica won the first edition in 2022.

Under-20 Intercontinental Cup
Organising bodiesCONMEBOL
UEFA
Founded2022; 2 years ago (2022)
RegionSouth America
Europe
Number of teams2
Current championsBrazil Flamengo
(1st title)
Most successful club(s)Portugal Benfica
Argentina Boca Juniors
Brazil Flamengo
(1 title each)
Website(UEFA)
(Conmebol)

History

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On 12 February 2020, UEFA and CONMEBOL signed a renewed memorandum of understanding meant to enhance cooperation between the two organisations. As part of the agreement, a joint UEFA–CONMEBOL committee examined the possibility of staging European–South American intercontinental matches, for both men's and women's football and across various age groups.[3] On 15 December 2021, UEFA and CONMEBOL again signed a renewed memorandum of understanding lasting until 2028, which included specific provisions on opening a joint office in London and the potential organisation of various football events.[4]

The official opening of the Joint UEFA and CONMEBOL Representation Office was held on 4 April 2022, where representatives of both confederations and Uruguayan club Peñarol met to agree on the creation of the Under-20 Intercontinental Cup.[5][6] This was confirmed by Peñarol on 25 April 2022 after another meeting between representatives of UEFA, CONMEBOL and the Peñarol club in Nyon, Switzerland prior to the 2021–22 UEFA Youth League final.[7][8]

On 2 June 2022, the day after staging the 2022 Finalissima, CONMEBOL and UEFA officially announced a series of new events between teams from the two confederations. This included the first Under-20 Intercontinental Cup, a match between the winners of South America's U-20 Copa Libertadores, an under-20 competition, and the winners of Europe's UEFA Youth League, an under-19 competition. The first winners of the competition were Portuguese club Benfica, winners of the 2021–22 UEFA Youth League, who defeated South American side Peñarol, winners of the 2022 U-20 Copa Libertadores, after a 1–0 victory at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, Uruguay.[9]

Winners

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List of Under-20 Intercontinental Cup matches
Ed. Year Winners Score Runners-up Venue Location Attendance
1
2022   Benfica 1–0   Peñarol Estadio Centenario Montevideo, Uruguay 40,579
2
2023   Boca Juniors 1–1 (4–1 p)   AZ La Bombonera Buenos Aires, Argentina 37,386
3
2024   Flamengo 2–1   Olympiacos Maracanã Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 31,237

Performances

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By club

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Performances in the Under-20 Intercontinental Cup by club
Club Title(s) Runners-up Years won Years runner-up
  Benfica 1 0 2022
  Boca Juniors 1 0 2023
  Flamengo 1 0 2024
  Peñarol 0 1 2022
  AZ 0 1 2023
  Olympiacos 0 1 2024

By nation

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Performances by nation
Nation Titles Runners-up Total
  Argentina 1 0 1
  Brazil 1 0 1
  Portugal 1 0 1
  Greece 0 1 1
  Netherlands 0 1 1
  Uruguay 0 1 1

By confederation

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Results by confederation
Confederation Winners Runners-up
CONMEBOL 2 1
UEFA 1 2

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Under-20 Intercontinental Cup 2022, Peñarol vs Benfica: All you need to know". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Archived from the original on 17 August 2022. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  2. ^ "Todo lo que debes saber de la Sub-20 Intercontinental". conmebol.com (in Spanish). Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol. 1 August 2022. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  3. ^ "UEFA and CONMEBOL renew Memorandum of Understanding to enhance cooperation". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 12 February 2020. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  4. ^ "UEFA and CONMEBOL renew and extend Memorandum of Understanding". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 15 December 2021. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  5. ^ Marcano Vázquez, Ignacio (4 April 2022). "UEFA y CONMEBOL probarán en categoría juvenil la posible vuelta de la Copa Intercontinental" [UEFA and CONMEBOL will test the possible return of the Intercontinental Cup in the youth category] (in Spanish). Cadena SER. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  6. ^ "Se confirmó la primera edición de la Copa Intercontinental Sub 20" [The first edition of the Under-20 Intercontinental Cup was confirmed] (in Spanish). Doble Amarilla. 26 April 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  7. ^ "Peñarol jugará la final Intercontinental sub-20 en el Estadio Centenario" (in Spanish). DSports. 25 April 2022. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  8. ^ "Peñarol y Benfica jugarán la final Intercontinental Sub-20 en agosto" (in Spanish). ESPN. 27 April 2022. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  9. ^ "UEFA and CONMEBOL launch new intercontinental events". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 2 June 2022. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
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