1999 FIFA Confederations Cup

Lore & Background

The tournament was originally scheduled for 8–20 January 1999, but was rescheduled by FIFA on 17 November 1998 to accommodate the scheduling of the participating European teams. The competition was to originally be held in three stadiums in three cities, but since the stadiums in Monterrey were sponsored by a competing beer company other than the official advertiser, the city was left out. Matches were played at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City (Group A and the final) and the Estadio Jalisco in Guadalajara (Group B and the third place play-off).

Reader's Guide

The tournament featured eight teams representing the six continental confederations. Mexico qualified as host and as 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup winners, so the CONCACAF berth went to the United States. France qualified as 1998 World Cup winners but declined; Brazil took their place, and Bolivia replaced Brazil as CONMEBOL representatives. The other teams were Germany (UEFA), Saudi Arabia (AFC), Egypt (CAF), and New Zealand (OFC). The top two teams from each group advanced to the semi-finals. In the knockout stage, extra time and penalty shoot-outs were used if needed.

Did You Know?

• Cuauhtémoc Blanco, Marzouk Al-Otaibi, and Ronaldinho were the top scorers with six goals each; Ronaldinho won the Golden Shoe on assists.
• A total of 55 goals were scored by 29 different players, with no own goals.