PSG beat Flamengo 2-1 on pens: FIFA Intercontinental Cup final – updates

Al Jazeera’s live coverage of the FIFA Intercontinental Cup has come to an end.

PSG defeated Flamengo 2-1 on penalties to lift the trophy, capping off a stellar year with another piece of silverware.

Thank you for joining us, and we will see you soon again!

On behalf of everyone at Al Jazeera, this is me, Manasi Pathak, bidding you goodbye.

“We can be proud of ourselves. We played a great match against a tough opponent,” said PSG midfielder Warren Zaire-Emery.

“Now we have to continue like this because the toughest part of the season is still ahead of us.”

“I think this year is impossible to repeat for Paris Saint-Germain. It’s an unforgettable year,” said PSG manager Luis Enrique.

“Six trophies – not bad. We must keep going. It’s our mentality to keep winning and keep making history. That’s what we want.”

YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul is back in action on Friday night when he faces the biggest test of his career against two-time unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua.

Joshua will start as the huge favourite in this one, despite not having fought for more than a year and after taking a break from boxing.

For Paul, this bout – more than the rest of his previous fights combined – will go a long way to convincing supporters and sceptics alike whether the brash-talking social media star is a genuine world-class contender or nothing more than an overhyped pretender.

Click here for all you need to know in advance of Paul vs Joshua, which we will bring you live coverage of here on Al Jazeera Sport.

The United Kingdom on Wednesday said it was giving Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich a final chance to give Ukraine 2.5 billion pounds ($3.33bn) from the sale of Chelsea Football Club or face potential legal action.

The UK sanctioned Abramovich in a crackdown on Russian oligarchs after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, triggering a rushed sale of the Premier League football club and freezing of the proceeds.

The UK wants the funds spent only on humanitarian causes in Ukraine, in line with a wider European push for Moscow to foot the bill for deaths and destruction triggered by its invasion.

Reuters was not immediately able to reach representatives for Abramovich for a response to the government statement. He has previously sought more flexibility and said he wants the money to go to all victims. Abramovich has 90 days to act under the terms of the government’s new licence.

Click here to read more.

Our focus, with regards global football, now shifts to the Africa Cup of Nations, which kicks off in Morocco on Sunday.

Here’s a tournament guide and top 10 players list ahead of Africa’s biggest football tournament.

We’ll also bring you Tottenham against Liverpool from the English Premier League on Saturday, and Villarreal against Barcelona in Spain’s La Liga on Sunday.

Click here to read our report following the Intercontinental Cup final in Qatar.

The winner of the FIFA World Cup 2026 will receive a record jackpot of $50m, football’s global governing body says.

That figure is up from $42m in 2022 and $38m in 2018. But it is still less than half of what was on offer at the much less hyped FIFA Club World Cup earlier this year.

FIFA said the total prize fund for next year’s World Cup – to be staged in the United States, Canada and Mexico – is $655m, a 50 percent increase on the previous edition in Qatar.

By comparison, the FIFA Club World Cup, which was controversially expanded from seven teams to 32 and shoehorned into the football calendar, had a total prize fund of $1bn. The prize for the winning team was worth up to $125m for a tournament that faced fierce resistance from players and leagues and drew sparse crowds for some matches.

Click here to read more.

And at last, the moment you, me, and PSG have been waiting for! Here come the FIFA Intercontinental Cup champions — the mighty PSG, the reigning champions of France and Europe.

Head coach Enrique is the first to receive his gold medal from Infantino, followed by Ruiz, Mendes and others. They all receive a warm embrace from their club president, al-Khelaifi, before stepping away from the dias.

And the ceremony concludes with captain Marquinhos lifting the trophy with his teammates, as the fireworks and confetti go off in the background!

“Champions” reads the banner in front of the Parisian side, who have earned a reputation of serial winners.

A dejected Flamengo squad receives silver medals from FIFA chief Infantino.

The Brazilian side, which beat two teams en route to the final, fell at the last obstacle against a talented PSG side.

Infantino is joined by PSG President Al-Khelaifi and Qatari Sports Minister Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani.

The first award, the player of the tournament, goes to Vitinha.

That is followed by medals and mementos for the match officials, dressed in black and pink kits.

The trophy is brought to the stage by former Italian player Marco Materazzi.

Players will receive their medals and the trophy from FIFA President Infantino.

The PSG squad is in high spirits while it’s all doom and gloom in the Flamengo side.

Don’t Stop the Party blasts from the speakers at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium as organisers prepare the dais for the trophy presentation.

PSG, the reigning European champions, are now also the FIFA Intercontinental Cup winners!

PSG get their hands on another piece of silverware this year.

Thanks to Safonov’s brilliance in the shootout, they edge out Flamengo 2-1 on penalties.

The contest, played in Qatar, was forced to a shootout after the match was tied 1-1, with Jorginho cancelling out Kvaratskhelia’s opener.

Araujo’s shot is saved, and with that, PSG win the FIFA Intercontinental Cup!

Safonov’s saves in the penalty shootout prove to be the difference.

PSG: O X O X

Flamengo: O X X X X