2001 FIFA Confederations Cup

Lore & Background

By winning the tournament along with the 1998 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2000, France became the second team to simultaneously hold the World Cup, continental championship, and Confederations Cup, after Brazil in 1997.

In Their Own Story

The Seoul World Cup Stadium hummed under a June evening sky, the air thick with the scent of cut grass and the distant roar of a crowd that had come to witness their hosts. France lined up in their deep blue, and there was a quietness to them—a certainty. Zidane received the ball near the halfway line, turned once, and the entire pitch seemed to open like a book. He played it to Henry, who cut inside with that left-footed flick that made defenders look a half-second behind. The goal came, the stadium exhaled, and somewhere in the stands a French supporter in a faded '98 shirt simply nodded, as if confirming something he already knew. The second goal arrived before the final whistle, and the walk-off was almost ceremonial. No celebrations of excess. Just the calm of a job completed, a generation that had already written its name in the margins of the game's history, closing another chapter with the same understated grace.

Reader's Guide

Eight teams were split into two groups of four, with each team playing each other once. The top two in each group advanced to the semi-finals. The final was played between France and Japan, with France winning 1–0.

Did You Know?

• This was the first Confederations Cup in which original hosts Saudi Arabia did not participate.
• The tournament was co-hosted by South Korea and Japan, who also hosted the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
• A total of 31 goals were scored by 24 different players, with no own goals credited.