2017 FIFA Confederations Cup

• 1. Introduction

  ›

  The 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup ended on the 2nd of July 2017 in Saint Petersburg, with Germany lifting a trophy they had never won before. A single goal, scored without reply, separated them from Chile in a final that closed out a tournament nobody knew would be the last of its kind. What began in Russia as a warm-up act for the following year's World Cup turned into a farewell performance for an entire competition format. By the time the prize money was paid out and the stadiums emptied, FIFA had already decided the Confederations Cup would never be played again. The questions the next hour will answer: how did eight nations from six continents earn their places in Russia, what made this edition different from the nine that came before it, and why did a tournament with a forty-year lineage vanish just as it found one of its most technically advanced formats yet?

• 2. Eight Roads to Russia

  ›

  Germany arrived in Russia already carrying the weight of world champions. Their winning goal against Argentina in the 2014 FIFA World Cup final came in extra time, a 1-0 result that secured the country's fourth world title and automatically punched their ticket to this tournament. Australia took a different path. Their 2-1 extra-time victory over South Korea in the 2015 AFC Asian Cup final was their first Asian Cup win since switching confederations in 2006, moving from the OFC to the AFC. That switch had an unusual consequence: no team had ever won a championship under two different confederations before, since Australia also held four OFC Nations Cup titles. Chile arrived as Copa America champions after defeating Argentina 4-1 on penalties following a goalless draw in 2015. Mexico's route was peculiar even by Confederations Cup standards. As 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup holders, they had to face the 2013 Gold Cup champions, the United States, in a special playoff called the CONCACAF Cup. Mexico came through 3-2 after extra time. New Zealand, the sixth qualifier, beat Papua New Guinea 4-2 on penalties to claim the 2016 OFC Nations Cup. Portugal, the seventh team confirmed, defeated host nation France 1-0 after extra time in the UEFA Euro 2016 final. Cameroon completed the line-up last of all, beating Egypt 2-1 in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations final on the 5th of February 2017. Their late arrival was anticipated: at the time of the tournament draw in November 2016, the Africa Cup of Nations had not yet been played, so Cameroon's slot was held open until they won it.

• 3. Firsts and Finals

  ›

  Brazil had won the three previous Confederations Cups, in 2005, 2009, and 2013, and had appeared in every edition since 1995. Their absence in 2017 was the first time in that span they had failed to qualify. The reason traced back to the 2015 Copa America quarter-finals, where they lost on penalties to Paraguay. Australia's presence introduced another first: no nation had previously qualified for the Confederations Cup representing two different confederations. Three of the eight nations in Russia came from UEFA, which meant one group was guaranteed to contain two European teams. Russia and Portugal ended up in the same group, the first time in Confederations Cup history that two teams from the same confederation were placed together in the group stage draw. The tournament also marked the debut of the video assistant referee, or VAR. No previous Confederations Cup had used the technology, making this edition the testing ground for a system that would go on to feature in the 2018 World Cup that Russia was about to host. The draw that produced the two groups was held on the 26th of November 2016 at the Tennis Academy in Kazan.

• 4. Russia's Stage

  ›

  Four cities shared the matches: Saint Petersburg, Moscow, Kazan, and Sochi. Russia had been awarded the hosting rights for the 2018 World Cup on the 2nd of December 2010, and this tournament served as its logistical rehearsal. The Krestovsky Stadium in Saint Petersburg, with a capacity of 68,134, hosted the final. The Kazan Arena hosted the first semi-final on the 28th of June. The Fisht Olympic Stadium in Sochi hosted the second semi-final the following day. The Otkritie Arena in Moscow hosted the third-place match on the 2nd of July, the same day as the final. All four venues were among the twelve stadiums selected for the World Cup the following year, giving organizers a live test of every element from ticketing to transport. Spectators holding match tickets received free travel on trains between host cities on match days. Foreign visitors could also use their FAN ID cards for visa-free entry into Russia during a window that opened ten days before the first match and closed ten days after the last. The official match ball, made by Adidas and named Krasava, took its name from a Russian slang word meaning beautiful or awesome.

• 5. The Awards Table

  ›

  Julian Draxler won the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player. Alexis Sanchez took the Silver Ball and Leon Goretzka the Bronze Ball, with Goretzka also sharing the Golden Boot alongside Timo Werner, each finishing with three goals. Werner's boot carried the edge because he added two assists to Goretzka's zero. Lars Stindl collected the Silver Boot. Claudio Bravo won the Golden Glove as the tournament's top goalkeeper. All player awards carried Adidas sponsorship. The Hyundai Goal of the Tournament was decided by a public vote that closed on the 10th of July. Marco Fabian's goal in the semi-final against an unnamed opponent, scored in a 3-1 victory, won that award. Prize money was distributed by FIFA based on final position. The winners received five million US dollars. Runners-up received four and a half million. Third place received three and a half million, fourth place three million, and the four teams eliminated at the group stage each received two million. The final was attended by young participants from the international children's programme Football for Friendship, which brought representatives from 64 countries.

• 6. The Last Edition

  ›

  FIFA folded the Confederations Cup after this tournament, replacing it as part of an expansion of the FIFA Club World Cup. The 2021 FIFA Arab Cup was also folded in the same restructuring. For a competition that ran across ten editions, the end came without a final to mark the occasion in its own right. The Confederations Cup's closure meant that the Germany squad who beat Chile 1-0 in Saint Petersburg on the 2nd of July 2017 are the permanent, final holders of the title. No future team will add their name to that list. Germany had appeared in the tournament twice before, in 1999 and 2005, without winning. Their third appearance produced their only title, and also the competition's last.