Confederations Cup Produces World Champion

FIFA Soccer Tournament Has Champions From All Regions

Jun 15, 2009 John F. O'Connor

Qualifying for the Confederations Cup is similiar to the World Cup, expect the finals is a much smaller tournament.

What’s the difference between the Confederations Cup and the World Cup?

After all, both tournaments ultimately produce world champion teams.

Consider the following.

Every nation in the world that can field a soccer team participates in the two-year long World Cup qualifying that eventually leads to the 32-team final tournament, held once every four years,

Representatives are picked from the six regional qualifying tournaments on each of the six confederations or continents.

The 2010 World Cup will be held next June in South Africa.

The 2009 Confederations Cup is a forerunner to next year’s World Cup. It is also being hosted in South Africa.

It has a similar type of qualifying tournament as the World Cup.

Only the final of this tournament is much smaller.

Eight teams compete for the right to this trophy, which is in itself, a world championship although FIFA will never call it that.

Only the champions of the six continental areas of the world participate in the Confederations Cup.

The other two teams are the host nation; in this case, South Africa, and the last World Cup champion Italy.

The confederation champions are Brazil, United States, Spain, Iraq, Egypt and New Zealand.

Best Soccer Teams Not in Confederations Cup

The reason the Confederations Cup is not on a par with the World Cup is simply; the best teams in the World are not there,

Most of the quality teams come out of Europe and South America.

Of the eight representatives this year, only Brazil, Italy and Spain are considered true world powers.

The United States is in the same group with both Brazil and Italy and its doubtful that team will advance considering the competition.

Spain is the huge favorite to come out of Group A as the leader. That team showed what it is made 5-0 drubbing of New Zealand, a nation that probably will not qualify for the World Cup.

It is expected that Spain will face either Brazil or Italy for the championship.

But just like in all sports, there is always room for an upset or two.

United States in Confederations Cup

The United States should qualify for next year’s World Cup so that team has a lot to prove. The Americans usually cannot beat a European team on European soil. But this competition is on the African continent. It might change their outlook.

South Africa will want to make an impression as the host nation, both for this year and the next. That team battled Iraq to a 0-0 draw.

Soccer observers will also be watching Iraq, a nation in the midst of a war with insurgents after the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003.

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