2017 FIFA Confederations Cup

Lore & Background

The tournament was held in four stadiums in four cities: Saint Petersburg, Moscow, Kazan, and Sochi. The final was played at the Krestovsky Stadium in Saint Petersburg on 2 July. Germany qualified as the 2014 FIFA World Cup champions. This was the only Confederations Cup to feature the video assistant referee (VAR).

In Their Own Story

The Kazan Arena hummed with a low, electric murmur under the June sky. The floodlights had just reached full intensity when the referee's whistle split the air. Werner felt the ball arrive at his feet, one touch to bring it under control, another to set his body. Around him, the Chilean defenders lunged, but there was a half-second of stillness—a breath the whole stadium seemed to hold. He struck it low, driven, past the keeper's outstretched fingertips. The net rippled. The German bench erupted. Werner ran, arms wide, the white-and-black shirt flapping, and the roar of the travelling support rolled across the pitch like a wave breaking on a shore. Somewhere in the stands, a father in a faded 2014 jersey was weeping. The trophy was still hours away, but the moment was already theirs.

Reader's Guide

The final tournament was played in two stages: a group stage and a latter knockout stage. In the group stage, each team played three games in a group of four, with the winners and runners-up from each group advancing to the knockout stage. In the knockout stage, the four teams competed in single-elimination matches, beginning with the semi-finals and ending with the final. A third-place match was played between the two losing semi-finalist teams. The semi-finals were held on 28 June (Kazan Arena) and 29 June (Fisht Olympic Stadium). The third-place match was on 2 July at the Otkritie Arena in Moscow.

Did You Know?

• Germany won their only Confederations Cup title at this tournament.
• This was the last Confederations Cup held before being folded by FIFA.
• It was the only time Russia hosted the tournament.
• The official match ball was named 'Krasava', Russian slang for 'beautiful' or 'awesome'.