FIFA Confederations Cup

FIFA Confederations Cup
Founded 1992 (1992)
Region International (FIFA)
Number of teams 8 (from 6 confederations)
Current champions  Germany (1st title)
Most successful team(s)  Brazil (4 titles)
Website Official website
2017 FIFA Confederations Cup

The FIFA Confederations Cup is an international association football tournament for national teams, currently held every four years by FIFA. It is contested by the holders of each of the six (UEFA, CONMEBOL, CONCACAF, CAF, AFC, OFC) regional championships, along with the current FIFA World Cup holder and the host nation, to bring the number of teams up to eight.

Since 2005, the tournament has been held in the nation that will host the next World Cup, acting as a test event for the larger tournament. The 2021 tournament will be moved from 2022 World Cup host Qatar to another Asian country, due to concerns over the high temperatures that it experiences during June and July (these same concerns prompted the start of the 2022 World Cup to be moved to November instead of June).[1][2]

The current champions are Germany, who won the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup by defeating Chile 1–0 in the final to win their first title.

History and details

Germany against Brazil in the Frankenstadion in Nuremberg, Germany in the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup
A FIFA Confederations Cup choropleth map showing countries' best results (colours as shown) and host countries (yellow dots).

The tournament was originally organized by and held in Saudi Arabia and called the King Fahd Cup (Confederations Winners Cup or Intercontinental Championship), contested in 1992 and 1995 by the Saudi national side and some continental champions. In 1997, FIFA took over the organization of the tournament, named it the FIFA Confederations Cup and staged the competition every two years.[3]

Since 2005, it has been held every four years, in the year prior to each World Cup in the host country of the forthcoming World Cup (the 2001 edition was hosted in South Korea and Japan, before the quadrennial pattern was established). Considered a dress-rehearsal for the World Cup it precedes, it uses around half of the stadia intended for use at the following year's competition and gives the host nation, which qualifies for that tournament automatically, experience at a high level of competition during two years of otherwise friendlies. At the same time, participation was made optional for the South American and European champions.[4]

Generally, the host nation, the World Cup holders, and the six continental champions qualify for the competition. In those cases where a team meets more than one of the qualification criteria (such as the 2001 tournament where France qualified as the World Cup champions and European champions), another team is invited to participate, often the runner-up in a competition that the extra-qualified team won.

On four occasions teams have chosen not to participate in the tournament. Germany did so twice, first in the 1997 Confederations Cup after their victory in the Euro 1996, and again in the 2003 Confederations Cup when they were awarded a place as the 2002 World Cup runners-up. In 1997, Germany were replaced by 1996 runners-up Czech Republic, and in 2003 they were replaced by Turkey, the 2002 third place team.

France, 1998 World Cup winners, declined their place in the 1999 Confederations Cup, and were replaced by Brazil, the 1998 World Cup runners-up (and also 1997 Copa América champions). Italy, UEFA Euro 2000 runners up, declined their place in the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup.

An earlier tournament existed that invited former World Cup winners, the Mundialito, or Copa de Oro which celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of the first World Cup. The Artemio Franchi Trophy, contested in 1985 and 1993 between the winners of the Copa América and UEFA European Football Championship, was also another example of an earlier contest between football confederations. Both of these are considered by some to be a form of an unofficial precursor to the Confederations Cup, although FIFA recognised only the 1992 tournaments onwards to be Confederations Cup winners.[5]

Format

The eight qualified teams are drawn into two round-robin groups: two teams from the same confederation cannot be drawn in a group, except if there are three teams from the same confederation (something that happened for the first time in the 2017 edition when hosts Russia were joined by World Cup champions Germany and European champions Portugal). Every team plays all other teams in their group once, for a total three matches.

The top two teams of each group advance to the semi-finals, with the winners of each group playing the runners-up of the other group. The rankings of teams in each group are determined as follows (regulations Article 19.6):

  1. points obtained in all group matches;
  2. goal difference in all group matches;
  3. number of goals scored in all group matches;

If two or more teams are equal on the basis of the above three criteria, their rankings are determined as follows:

  1. points obtained in the group matches between the teams concerned;
  2. goal difference in the group matches between the teams concerned;
  3. number of goals scored in the group matches between the teams concerned;
  4. fair play points
    • first yellow card: minus 1 point;
    • indirect red card (second yellow card): minus 3 points;
    • direct red card: minus 4 points;
    • yellow card and direct red card: minus 5 points;
  5. drawing of lots by the FIFA Organising Committee.

The winners of the semi-finals advance to the final, while the losers play in the third-place game. For the knockout stage if the score is drawn at the end of regular time, extra time is played (two periods of 15 minutes each) and followed, if necessary, by a penalty shoot-out to determine the winner.

Results

FIFA Confederations Cup

The first two editions were in fact the defunct King Fahd Cup. FIFA later recognized them retroactively as Confederations Cup editions.[6]

Year Host Winner Score Runner-up Third place Score Fourth place Number of teams
1992
Details		  Saudi Arabia
Argentina		 3–1
Saudi Arabia
United States		 5–2
Ivory Coast 		4
1995
Details		  Saudi Arabia
Denmark		 2–0
Argentina
Mexico		 1–1 (a.e.t.)
(5–4p)
Nigeria		 6
Year Host Winner Score Runner-up Third place Score Fourth place Number of teams
1997
Details		  Saudi Arabia
Brazil		 6–0
Australia
Czech Republic		 1–0
Uruguay 		8
1999
Details		  Mexico
Mexico		 4–3
Brazil
United States		 2–0
Saudi Arabia 		8
2001
Details		  South Korea
 Japan
France		 1–0
Japan
Australia		 1–0
Brazil 		8
2003
Details		  France
France		 1–0 (a.e.t.)
Cameroon
Turkey		 2–1
Colombia 		8
2005
Details		  Germany
Brazil		 4–1
Argentina
Germany		 4–3 (a.e.t.)
Mexico 		8
2009
Details		  South Africa
Brazil		 3–2
United States
Spain		 3–2 (a.e.t.)
South Africa 		8
2013
Details		  Brazil
Brazil		 3–0
Spain
Italy		 2–2 (a.e.t.)
(3–2p)
Uruguay 		8
2017
Details		  Russia
Germany		 1–0
Chile
Portugal		 2–1 (a.e.t.)
Mexico		 8

Teams reaching the top four

Team Winners Runners-up Third Place Fourth Place
 Brazil 4 (1997, 2005, 2009, 2013*) 1 (1999) – 1 (2001)
 France 2 (2001, 2003*) – – –
 Argentina 1 (1992) 2 (1995, 2005) – –
 Mexico 1 (1999*) – 1 (1995) 2 (2005, 2017)
 Germany 1 (2017) – 1 (2005*) –
 Denmark 1 (1995) – – –
 United States – 1 (2009) 2 (1992, 1999) –
 Australia – 1 (1997) 1 (2001) –
 Spain – 1 (2013) 1 (2009) –
 Saudi Arabia – 1 (1992*) – 1 (1999)
 Japan – 1 (2001*) – –
 Cameroon – 1 (2003) – –
 Chile – 1 (2017) – –
 Czech Republic – – 1 (1997) –
 Turkey – – 1 (2003) –
 Italy – – 1 (2013) –
 Portugal – – 1 (2017) –
 Uruguay – – – 2 (1997, 2013)
 Ivory Coast – – – 1 (1992)
 Nigeria – – – 1 (1995)
 Colombia – – – 1 (2003)
 South Africa – – – 1 (2009*)
*: hosts

Records and statistics

References

  1. ↑ "FIFA strips Qatar of Confederations Cup". CBC Sports. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  2. ↑ "Late-November/late-December proposed for the 2022 FIFA World Cup". FIFA.com. 24 February 2015.
  3. ↑ "FIFA Confederations Cup" (PDF).
  4. ↑ "2005/2006 season: final worldwide matchday to be 14 May 2006". FIFA. 19 December 2004. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
  5. ↑ "Intercontinental Cup for Nations". RSSSF. 16 July 2009. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
  6. ↑ Tournament archive
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