The “big rehearsal” of the World Cup took place from June 17 to July 2 and covered four cities, eight teams, 16 matches, more than 600 thousand fans in stadiums and millions of television viewers around the world. Read more about how the cup went in the article.
A little history
The FIFA Confederations Cup appeared in the early 1990s and was initially a private event held in Saudi Arabia, funded by local entrepreneurs who decided to treat the public to the games of the best teams from different regions. But after the two debut King Fahd Cups took place, the International Football Federation (FIFA) took the competition under its auspices. Gradually the current format of the Confederations Cup was developed. It is organized once every four years, and the current holders of all significant titles take part in it, that is, the winners of the continental championships and the world champion, plus the host team, which is also the hostess of the upcoming world championship in a year.
How it was
The 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup was attended by the current world champion - the German national team, and the winners of six football Confederations: the national team of Portugal, Mexico, Chile, New Zealand, Australia and Cameroon. And also the Russian national team as the organizing country.
The matches took place in four cities of Russia: Moscow, Kazan, Sochi and St. Petersburg.
All stadiums hosted four matches of the tournament, two semi-finals took place in Kazan and Sochi, you could watch the match for third place at the Spartak stadium in Moscow, and the opening and final took place in St. Petersburg.
“This Confederations Cup was a great success. From many points of view. I thank Russia, the organizing committee, the RFU and all the Russian people,- said FIFA President Gianni Infantino. - Great matches were played and attacking football was demonstrated. Stadium attendance was good. It was great football. Two strong finalists."
Megapride of Joachim Löw
The defending world champions, the German national team, won the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, beating Chile 1-0 at the St. Petersburg Stadium.
“The Chileans have a very good team, great players. Look at the moments they created today! Our victory is all the more valuable because the opponent was so strong. This is very important for the guys. I am proud of my team, the team that we managed to create at the Confederations Cup. It doesn’t matter how many players from this squad will be at the World Cup in a year. In any case, this is the experience and success that will stay with all of us. The guys fought for every meter of the field, they were just mega proud!”- team head coach Joachim Löw shares his impressions.
It is interesting that before the start of the tournament, many did not know most of the German national team: the coach brought the second squad of the team. The fans were perplexed: “Who are these young guys? Will they be able to become Cup winners?”, because the average age of the players is only 24 years old. Contrary to expectations, it was precisely the well-developed technique, passion and youthful sparkle in the eyes that helped the players win.
At the end of the match, the best player and winner of the Adidas Golden Ball was the captain of the German national team, Julian Draxler.
The Golden Boot went to Germany striker Timo Werner.
The captain of the Chilean national team, Claudio Bravo, received the Golden Glove.
Confederations Cup in a new way
It is worth noting the innovations of the tournament. In the group stage match between Portugal and Mexico (2:2), the video assistant referee (VAR) system was used for the first time in the tournament.
Tablets with statistics were also tested at the Confederations Cup final. FIFA provided them to the Germans and Chileans, allowing analysts and national team medical staff to access player statistics and match video in real time.
The goal of this initiative is not only to achieve a better understanding, but also to identify possible pros and cons when using electronic communications in the technical area.
Who is the volunteer? I am a volunteer!
A tournament under the auspices of FIFA means not only millions of fans, hundreds of representatives of the Organizing Committee, media and security services, but also 9,900 volunteers, about whom a separate article can be written.
Thus, during the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, more than two thousand volunteers were involved in Kazan alone, who helped with the tournament in 20 functional areas. The guys were personally thanked by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, General Director of the Russia 2018 Organizing Committee Alexey Sorokin, as well as players of the Chilean national team at the end of the last match of the Tournament of Champions in Kazan.
Let us remind you that on June 28, the teams of Chile and Portugal met at the 45,000-seat Kazan Arena. The Chilean team won the penalty shootout with a score of 3:0, earning a ticket to the finals of the tournament.
Last mile
For Russians, such a phenomenon as the last mile became surprising. This is approximately a kilometer radius around the stadium, where only accredited transport could travel between 5 hours before the start of the match and 3 hours after its end.
At first glance, the introduced requirement is not entirely convenient for residents and guests of the host cities. However, public transport ran regularly on match days, and its operating hours ended four hours after the end of the match.
Moreover, fans were provided with free shuttles to the stadiums, travel on public transport, as well as on commuter trains and Aeroexpress. The main condition was to have a match ticket and FAN ID with you.
Spirit of Football
Of course, fans of the participating teams deserve special attention. Fans flew thousands of kilometers to support their home team.
In June, the capital of Tatarstan alone was visited by seven thousand sunny Mexicans! Also, the Chileans, Portuguese, Germans and, of course, the Russians attended the games of their national teams.
Fans danced in circles on the central streets of the city, happily gave sombreros to local residents and exchanged national souvenirs.
Matchapuri in Kazan style
The Kazan chain of Georgian cafes did not stand aside from the world sporting event and decided to attract city guests with a new dish on the menu - matchpuri. It was a modified Adjarian-style khachapuri, made in the shape of an oval, into which, instead of one quail egg, 11 were added, which symbolizes the football stadium and the team of players on the field.
It's only begining
In conclusion, we would like to remind you that in less than a year, Russia will host the 2018 FIFA World Cup, which will bring together 32 participating teams. Hurry up to purchase tickets for matches and register for a FAN ID. See you at the stadium!
The Confederations Cup is a tournament held in anticipation of the World Cup. Traditionally, the winners of each of the six continental championships, the current world champions and the team hosting the next world championship take part in it. So the participation of our team in this exhibition tournament is nothing more than gratitude for the hospitality. According to the forecasts of experts and fans of the Russian national team, Stanislav Cherchesov’s squad is unlikely to be able to overcome even the group stage. Unfortunately, it’s hard to disagree with such a disappointing forecast.
June 17, Saturday
18:00 Russia – New Zealand (St. Petersburg)
The championship hosts will play New Zealand in the opening match. Before this, the teams met each other only once at the World Championships - 1982. The USSR national team then won a landslide victory with a score of 3:0.
June 18, Sunday
18:00 Portugal – Mexico (Kazan)
This will be the 7th Confederations Cup for the Mexican national team and it will be equal to Brazil in the number of participations in the tournament. Well, Portugal is the current European champion and one of the favorites to win the tournament.
21:00 Chile – Cameroon (Moscow)
The match between Chile and Cameroon will be a confrontation between the champions of the American and African continents.
The current world champions will not come to CC 2017 with the strongest squad. But even so, the team Joachim Loew remains the main favorite of the tournament.
June 21, Wednesday
18:00 Russia– Portugal (Moscow)
The last time the Russian national team played with Portugal was in November 2015. The match in Krasnodar ended in victory for the hosts with a score of 1:0. Immediately after which the Portuguese triumphantly took the 2016 European Championship.
21:00 Mexico – New Zealand (Sochi)
June 22, Thursday
18:00 Chile – Australia (St. Petersburg)
21:00 Germany – Cameroon (Kazan)
June 24, Saturday
18:00 Mexico – Russia(Kazan)
The final game of the group tournament between Russia and Mexico will be the moment of truth for Cherchesov’s team. Will our players be able to get out of the group or will the skeptical forecasts of experts be confirmed?
18:00 New Zealand – Portugal (St. Petersburg)
June 25, Sunday
18:00 Cameroon – Australia (Moscow)
18:00 Germany – Chile (Sochi)
July 2, Sunday
15:00 Match for 3rd place (Moscow)
21:00 Final (St. Petersburg)
On June 17, the 2017 Confederations Cup will begin in St. Petersburg, which will become a dress rehearsal for the FIFA World Cup starting in Russia a year later. The Confederations Cup is being held for the eighth time; the teams of Russia, Germany, Chile, Cameroon, New Zealand, Australia, Mexico and Portugal will take part in it. The teams will form two groups of 4 teams, followed by two semi-finals and a final.
Fans of our country are primarily interested in the team of Stanislav Cherchesov. The schedule of our team’s matches was known in advance and was structured in such a way as to play at stadiums in different cities. Netizens are also concerned about the question “where the opening of the tournament will take place.” The opening of the tournament - the match between Russia and New Zealand - will be held at the Krestovsky stadium in St. Petersburg. The final of the tournament will also take place there. The St Petersburg fixtures also include a June 22 game between Cameroon and Australia and a June 24 match between New Zealand and Portugal.
The schedule of games in Sochi is more dense. Teams from Australia and Germany will play at the Fisht Stadium on June 19. June 21 teams of Mexico and New Zealand. Germany will play Cameroon on June 25 and one of the semi-finals will take place on June 29.
The schedule of matches where Russia will participate is still known only before the playoffs. Since our guys still have to fight to get out of the group along with the teams of Portugal, New Zealand and Mexico. In addition to the game in St. Petersburg with New Zealand, the Russians will play a match with the Portuguese on June 21 in Moscow at the Otkritie Arena, as well as against Mexico on June 24 in Kazan. All matches will start at 18:00 Moscow time.
The official website of the tournament is already operational, where you can find out more detailed information on the schedule of games. The dates for the 2017 Confederations Cup are from June 17 to July 2.
Confederations Cup 2017: lineups, interesting facts about the teams
Group A: Mexico, Russia, Portugal, New Zealand
On the eve of the rehearsal for the home World Cup, the Russian team lost one of its best strikers - Artyom Dzyuba. The Zenit forward said that his health does not allow him to help the team. Also, Spartak midfielder Roman Zobnin, who had high hopes, dropped out due to injury.
The ambitions of this team are very modest. Head coach Anthony Hudson said his team's goal at the Confederations Cup was to win at least one match, something New Zealand had previously failed to do.
Portugal, current European champions, 8th place in the FIFA rankings, main star - Cristiano Ronaldo
Critics call Portugal the “under-champion” of Europe due to the fact that Fernando Santos’ team at Euro 2016 won only one match in regular time - in the semi-finals the Portuguese scored two unanswered goals against the Welsh.
The Mexicans will take part in the Confederations Cup for the seventh time. Apart from them, only Brazilians participated in the previous six draws, who did not qualify for this tournament. Of the participants in this competition, only Mexico had previously won the trophy.
Group B: Germany, Chile, Cameroon, Australia
Only three players who became world champions in 2014 were included in the German national team's roster. These are Julian Draxler, Shkodran Mustafi and Matthias Ginther, although the latter did not play a single match in Brazil. Therefore, the main star in this team is more likely a coach than one of the players.
The Chilean team has been in Russia the longest. On June 9, she played a test match with the Russian national team, which ended in a draw - 1:1. By the way, the Chileans are the leaders in the number of foreign fans at the Confederations Cup.
Cameroon goalkeepers Fabrice Ondoa of Sevilla and Andre Onana of Ajax are cousins. Onana spent his first year in adult football, shining in the Dutch championship, but is still number two in the national team.
Australia was previously part of the Oceania Football Confederation, but since 2006 it has been a representative of the Asian region. Thus, it became the only team in the world to win the championships of two confederations.
From June 17 to July 2, 2017, the Confederations Cup was held in Russia (Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sochi and Kazan).
Eight teams took part in the tournament, which is held a year before the World Cup: Russia (2018 World Cup host), Portugal (Euro 2016 champion), Germany (2014 World champion), Chile (2015 South American champion), Australia (2015 Asian champion), Mexico (2015 CONCACAF Cup winner), New Zealand (2016 OFC Nations Cup winner) and Cameroon (2017 African champion).
The tournament took place a year before world cup , which will take place in Russia from June 14 to July 15, 2018.
Group composition
In Group A, the Russian team was joined by New Zealand, Portugal and Mexico. Group B will feature teams from Chile, Australia, Germany and Cameroon.
The Mexican national team became the only team that took part in the Confederations Cup in 2013.
Confederations Cup 2017: match schedule and results
June 17, 2017, Saturday
18:00 Russia- New Zealand - 2:0 (St. Petersburg)
Goals: Boxall, 31, own goal, Smolov, 69.
Before this game, the teams met each other only once - at the 1982 World Cup. The USSR national team won with a score of 3:0.
June 18, 2017, Sunday
18:00 Portugal - Mexico - 2:2 (Kazan)
This is the 7th Confederations Cup for the Mexican national team and they are equal to Brazil in the number of participations in the tournament.
21:00 Cameroon - Chile - 0:2 (Moscow)
21st of June 2017, Wednesday
18:00 Russia- Portugal - 0:1 (Moscow)
Goal: Cristiano Ronaldo, 8.
The match in Krasnodar in November 2015 ended in a victory for the hosts with a score of 1:0. History of the confrontation: 10 matches, 3 wins, 1 draw, 6 losses, goal difference 9-14.
21:00 Mexico - New Zealand - 2:1 (Sochi)
June 22, 2017, Thursday
18:00 Cameroon - Australia - 1:1 (St. Petersburg)
21:00 Germany - Chile - 1:1 (Kazan)
June 24, 2017, Saturday
18:00 Mexico - Russia- 2:1 (Kazan)
Goals: Samedov, 25, Araujo, 30, Lozano, 52.
A friendly game between Russia and Mexico in Auckland on February 2, 1994 ended in a victory for our team with a score of 4:1. History of the confrontation: 12 matches, 4 wins, 7 draws, 1 defeat, goal difference 12-3.
18:00 New Zealand - Portugal - 0:4 (St. Petersburg)
The final position of the teams in Group A: Portugal - 7 points, Mexico - 7 points, Russia - 3 points, New Zealand - 0 points.
June 25, 2017, Sunday
18:00 Germany - Cameroon - 3:1 (Sochi)
18:00 Chile - Australia - 1:1 (Moscow)
The final position of the teams in Group B: Germany - 7 points, Chile - 5 points, Australia - 2 points, Cameroon - 1 point.
1/2 finals
July 2, 2017, Sunday
15:00 Match for 3rd place Portugal - Mexico - 2:1 (Moscow)
21:00 Final Chile - Germany - 0:1 (St. Petersburg)
First round of the next season
The FIFA tournament, which serves as a test of the readiness of the hosts of the upcoming World Cup, is getting closer. Opening date of the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup is already known: on June 17, New Zealand and Russia will start with a head-to-head meeting. According to plan - at the long-awaited arena in St. Petersburg.
Over the past six months, the level of information around the Russian team has noticeably decreased. The failure at Euro 2016 and the scandals that immediately followed seemed to lead to emotional burnout among fans and journalists. The resignation of Slutsky, the appointment of Cherchesov, the lackluster game and poor results in friendly matches - all this passed casually and quietly, like another round of the FNL. Perhaps the Russian national team’s preparations for the 2017 Confederations Cup will only benefit from this. The national team and its fans now have a clear break in their relationship, during which both should calmly collect their thoughts and become better. Will it work? The next date, scheduled for the match with Belgium on March 28, will partly clarify.
Teams participating in the 2017 Confederations Cup
So, the dates for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup are known: from June 17 to July 2. Meanwhile, very soon the last team will be determined, which will travel to Russia in June. On the fields of Gabon, African teams are playing for the title of champion of the Dark Continent, having already reached the playoff stage and weeding out a couple of favorites. At the end of this tournament, everything will finally be known teams participating in the 2017 Confederations Cup. However, the problems of Africans are not a reason for the sheriffs from FIFA to worry, and therefore the draw for the final part of the upcoming summer tournament was carried out in advance.
According to the regulations of the tournament, which will be hosted at their stadiums in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan and Sochi, eight teams are participating:
- host country of the future World Cup (Russia);
- current champions of continental tournaments (Portugal, Mexico, Chile, Australia (from Asia), New Zealand, winner of the African Cup);
- World Cup winner (Germany).
Forecast
The draw for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup was held at the end of last year in Kazan, dividing all participants into two equal groups. Quartet "A" consisted of the hosts, the Portuguese, Mexicans and New Zealanders. Quartet "B" - Germans, Australians and Chileans. Well, the same, not yet born African champion.
The paper favorites are obvious: the national teams of Germany, Chile and Portugal, in their exemplary form, are clearly stronger than the other participants. But this is in theory. But in practice, the future scenarios may turn out to be completely different.
Against the Europeans (and, alas, we are not talking about the Russian national team) is an exhausting club season, during which the national team leaders will play more than 50 matches. If you consider that last year there was really no time for recovery - instead of resting, they played in France until the last minute - there is a possibility of seeing not the most optimal lineups.
The shadow leader is the Chilean team. The head coach, José Antonio Pizzi, is successfully building on the legacy of Jorge Sampaoli: the team is still manageable and unyielding - as evidenced by two consecutive victories on penalties in the Copa America finals. Alexis Sanchez's Arsenal's European Cup schedule, as a rule, is not so long, so the leader may well help his team compete for another title, which the Chileans have been rapidly stocking up on in recent years.
The Mexicans, although they dominate the CONCACAF zone, are still a mood team. The terrible 0-7 from the same Chileans in the quarterfinals of last year's Copa America is a vivid example of the instability of the Aztecs. However, at the upcoming tournament they may have a chance to get even - but first they need to get through the group stage, the ticket for leaving which will probably be played out in a head-to-head confrontation with Russia in the last round.
With all due respect, the champions of Asia, Oceania and Africa are unlikely to be able to compete for the playoffs.
The Russian national team has already been mentioned above, so its chances are either good or nothing. Here When will the Confederations Cup 2017 take place?- then you and I will get answers to all your pressing questions.
- Bookmaker: 1xbet
- Coefficient: 5
- Forecast: Portugal victory
Loading...