About Confederations Cup
The FIFA Confederations Cup is an international association football tournament for men's national teams, currently held every four years by FIFA. It is contested by the holders of each of the six (AFC, CAF, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, OFC and UEFA) continental 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).
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
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.
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 stadiums 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.
Germany against Brazil in the Frankenstadion in Nuremberg, Germany in the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup
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, in 1997 (replaced by Euro 1996 runners-up Czech Republic) and in 2003 when Germany were awarded a place as the 2002 World Cup runners-up, replaced by the third-placed team Turkey. World champions France declined a place in the 1999 Confederations Cup, replaced by Brazil, the 1998 World Cup runners-up. Italy, UEFA Euro 2000 runners up, declined their place in the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup.
An earlier tournament that invited former World Cup winners, the Mundialito, 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.
Official Website
