World Cup Sound of Football Podcast - South Africa 0 Uruguay 3

Join us again for another edition of our increasingly popular "book-end" podcast.

This time Graham, Chris and Terry look forward to the South Africa v Uruguay game before kick off with some confident predictions, indulge in some Sid James shenanigans at half time and ponder the prospects of Uruguay's fortunes in the World Cup and reflect on the game's talking points once it's all over.

For those of you who have not read that excellent post about UK broadcasters on The Scotsman which we referred to on the podcast, it's right here.

You can listen to the podcast here or if you right-click on that link, you can download the MP3. Alternatively, you can subscribe via the your reader of choice or via our iTunes feed.

32 For 2010: South Africa

One of the great disappointments of African football is that the South African nation have not been been able to produce a team to match the enormous passion that its people have for the game. However, the mere fact that the tournament itself is being held there is a victory for the Rainbow Nation, the continent of Africa and for football.

Of course this was all supposed to happen four years earlier. Were it it not for a maverick FIFA delegate from New Zealand voting against the wishes of his federation we'd be looking back on South Africa 2006 and its legacy. In many ways the timing of this tournament is poor what with the global recession. While the investment in the country's footballing infrastructure is impressive, had it taken place earlier in the decade there may have been more opportunities for investment in the game after the World Cup as opposed to now when confidence among potential corporate partners is low.

There are also concerns and criticisms about how much of the enormous income generated by the World Cup is not trickling down to its people. FIFA's notorious licencing restrictions have prevented local tradesman from exploiting the tournament and one has to wonder how much of the money is staying in the country rather than being funnelled to massive corporate sponsors such as Mastercard and Budweiser to name but two.

But this is not a time for off-pitch pessimism. Irrespective of how Bafana Bafana play, the South African public will support the World Cup in their own unique fashion. This is just as well as the prospects on the pitch are not terribly encouraging.

South Africa's hopes of qualification to the second round pretty much begin and end with Steven Pienaar. The Everton midfielder has been immense this season which is all the more impressive since few would have blamed him for taking his foot off the gas given the importance that the summer has both to him personally and his country. The team's other hero is Matthew Booth. To describe the burly centre half as agricultural is perhaps missing the point. Booth is a six-foot-something white man playing in a sport dominated by blacks and marginalised during Apartheid. The presence of the Mamelodi Sundowns player carries tremendous symbolic value in what is another step in the political reconciliation of a once violently divided nation.

Missing out is Benni McCarthy. South African team coach Carlos Alberto Perriera was never convinced of the West Ham striker's commitment to the team (he was left out of the squad for last year's Confederations Cup). And if rumours are to be believed, McCarthey's latest off the field exploits proved to be the last straw on the camel's back.

Portsmouth fans will point put the combative qualities of Aaron Makoena but apart from that there is very little to be positive about. South Africa play Mexico, France and Uruguay in their group. Technically, none of those teams are exactly world-beaters but Perreira's men will need to find a whole range of hitherto undiscovered gears in order to progress. Mind you, we must never underestimate the power of home advantage and the immense distraction of 60,000 vuvuzelas ringing in the ears of the opposition.

Confederations Cup Review: Brazil v South Africa

Semi Final
Brazil 1 South Africa 0
Johannesburg

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the fireworks we saw in the previous match between Spain and the US were unsustainable. When the host country South Africa played Brazil on Thursday evening there was little in the way of eye-catching surprises or extraordinary upsets, but it's fair to say we came relatively close to one.

One gets the feeling that Brazil often play on auto-pilot and evidence of this was seen here against their African opponents. Without the need to make any rash, ill thought out gestures, they have the innate ability to pass the ball around until fate decrees that an opportunity presents itself. When it does, they try to score, but if they don’t, no worries – another chance generally comes along shortly after anyway.

The downside to this approach (if indeed there is one) is that the Brazilians sometimes give the impression they’re not bothered about scoring goals and winning matches. Far from the truth as that may be, it certainly gives teams like South Africa the belief that they can win and there were signs in this match that they might.

In the first half, the hosts went straight for the jugular with several decent chances that left Brazil in no doubt they’d have to fight for their place in the Final. Siboniso Gaxa went close early on with a decent 30-yard effort that was only just wide, while new Portsmouth signing Aaron Mokoena headed just over the bar with 20 minutes on the clock. Tsepo Masilela watched his shot tipped over by Julio Cesar shortly after and, for a while, there looked like being only one team in this match.

Brazil, however, managed to rally round as the end of the first half approached and it was Kaka that seemed most intent on engineering something with a range of passing and shooting that briefly threatened a goal against the run of play.

Into the second half and Brazil picked up from where they left off – Kaka heading over the bar – but the South Africans were soon back in the game as Everton’s Steven Pienaar pulled more and more strings in midfield. Shortly after one of his own shots was saved, Teko Modise went close to opening the scoring when his deflected effort had to be tipped wide by Julio Cesar.

With Brazil showing signs of laxity in the way they were converting their chances, the South Africans would have been justified in thinking they’d at least force the game into extra time. Sadly for them it was not to be. In the 82nd minute, Barcelona right back Daniel Alves came on to replace Andre Santos and the effect was emphatic. Only six minutes later, a Mokoena foul led to Alves curling a beautiful free kick beyond the reach of Itumeleng Khune to effectively seal the win for the South Americans.

The defeat must have been hard to take for Joel Santana’s men after they’d showed so much spirit and determination throughout the game, but the Bafana Bafana can take great succour from their performance. But for a better choice of top quality finishers, they’d have probably wrapped the game up by the early part of the second half, but at least the end of their Confederations Cup campaign isn’t entirely shrouded in despair.

After a dismal run of form over the last year or two, they’ve finally instilled a sense of optimism and respect in their fans and observers worldwide, and many now think they’re capable of a decent run in the World Cup when it arrives next year.

As for Brazil, they’ll no doubt go most (if not all) of the way towards lifting the trophy on this basis. Despite being well short of the classic Brazilian teams of the past, they’re at least capable of achieving much while just in auto-pilot, and that in itself is quite something.

Confederations Cup – Day 5 Review

Group A

Spain 2 South Africa 0
Mangaung/Bloemfontein

Hosts South Africa needed a draw against Spain last night to progress to the semi-finals, but in the end even that wasn’t necessary. With Iraq and New Zealand playing out a goalless draw at the same time in Johannesburg, South Africa could afford their defeat at the hands of the European champions.

Spain, as we’ve seen before in this Confederations Cup, set off at a great pace, testing South African ‘keeper Itumeleng Khune on several occasions. Their slick passing and movement remain a delight to watch and against a weak defence they can be devastating, but in Khune they found someone between the sticks that was determined to shut them out.

Six minutes into the second half and the South African number 16 made his main claim for the Man of the Match award after Cesc Fabregas was felled in his penalty area. Not satisfied with saving David Villa’s penalty, he also caught the resulting follow-up shot from Carles Puyol to keep the score at 0-0.

Sadly for Khune, that scoreline would only be the case for a further minute as Spain launched another attack. Riera chipped through a harmless ball into the penalty and with his back to goal David Villa deftly turned and shot in one movement to give his side a 1-0 lead.

Joel Santana’s men fought back but up front they looked blunt in comparison to the Europeans. With 72 minutes gone, Spain showed their class again when substitute Fernando Llorente managed to divert Cesc Fabregas’ wayward shot into the net and with that a victory was pretty much assured.

The game ended 2-0 to Spain and they were through to the semis, but South Africa’s fate wasn’t immediately apparent as they had to wait for the result to come through from Johannesburg. When it did, both sets of players were able to celebrate following a decent First Round campaign – particularly so for the Spanish.




Group A
Iraq 0 New Zealand 0
Johannesburg

Given the chances of either side to progress to the semi-finals, it was perhaps surprising that they managed to put on the show they did. Obviously the 23,295 supporters inside the Ellis Park Stadium thought there was the potential for a good game, and though there were no goals, both teams did their best to notch up a goal or two.

To be brutally honest, both Iraq and New Zealand were guilty of not putting away the chances they generated, but at least there were chances in the first place. The All Whites (playing in all black on this occasion) have particularly tried to play defensively in this competition, but they created a few good openings here.

Celtic’s Chris Killen had a couple of first half opportunities which he saw fit to put over the bar while Shane Smeltz twice opted for the wide-of-the-post option instead. The Kiwis were undoubtedly creating the better chances before the break, but after it they had to defend sternly as Iraq came back on the front foot.

Iraqi coach Bora Milutinovic threw on a couple of forwards during the second half in an attempt to gain advantage from South Africa’s demise against Spain, but New Zealand defended well and the threat of either team scoring was neutralised long before the final whistle went.

The game ended goalless, but both teams had shown good spirit and the All Whites even picked up their first Confederations Cup point in the process. No-one, however, could deny that the best two teams had progressed to the semis and it’ll be interesting seeing how they deal with the might of their Group B counterparts next Wednesday and Thursday.

Confederations Cup – Day 3 Review

Group A
South Africa 2 New Zealand 0
Rustenburg

The home fans finally got a taste of glory in Bafana Bafana's second game of the 2009 Confederations Cup as New Zealand were defeated 2-0.

Once again, New Zealand were disappointingly poor just as they were against Spain and if it's any consolation they did at least defend a little better. That said, South Africa were determined to get three points from this match, and with lots of good attacking moves coming via the left wing they were able to claim them comfortably.

Everton's Steven Pienaar was instrumental in much of what the home side produced - indeed he instigated the move that led to the first goal after 21 minutes for Bernard Parker.

Parker, you'll remember, gained international fame and superstardom by accidentally blocking a goal-bound shot from his own team-mate in South Africa's first match against Iraq. This time, there were no such blunders as he flicked the ball past Kiwi 'keeper Glen Moss to put South Africa 1-0 up.

Bernard Parker had another great chance to score later in the first half when he ran straight for goal up the centre of the pitch, only to see his shot deflected wide by the outstretched leg of Moss.

South Africa were all over their opponents, but it wasn't until the 52nd minute that they were able to double their lead. Once again, Pienaar was involved, crossing the ball into the box for Parker to flick in, and that was about all as far as meaningful goal opportunities were concerned.

New Zealand again failed by their inability to keep possession and pass accurately amongst one another. It's actually a wonder they managed to get even one goal against Italy in their pre-competition friendly, let alone three on this basis.

By the time South Africa had scored their second last night, New Zealand were in no position to counter their opponents' new-found confidence and can now only look forward to picking up a consolation point or three in their last match against Iraq on Sunday. If they're lucky.

For South Africa, a draw against Spain will be of benefit to both teams, and given the Spanish team's easing down through the gears against Iraq yesterday, that could be what we end up getting.




Group A
Spain 1 Iraq 0
Mangaung/Bloemfontein

Iraq decided to try and win a game at this Confederations Cup competition which, following their performance against South Africa on Sunday, was quite a shock. The trouble was, they were up against a Spain side who were looking for their 14th win on the trot and were totally skilled up to get it.

Iraq looked a much more focused unit this time around and were a decent match for the Spaniards, even carving out an early chance through Alaa Abdul Zahra who managed to test Iker Casillas from 20 yards out.

So efficient, in fact, were the Iraqis at containing their opponents that Spain's usual slick passing and movement amounted to very little in the first half. Iraq defended diligently and Vicente Del Bosque's team couldn't find a way through, much to many people's surprise.

Ten minutes into the second half, however, Spain's patience paid off when Joan Capdevila produced another incisive cross which David Villa expertly flicked in with his head. It was the cue for Spain to press on with more possession and self-confidence but a second goal failed to arrive. In fact they almost conceded a late equaliser when Nashat Akram went close with a 25-yard effort which would have easily beaten Casillas in the Spanish goal.

As it is, Spain held on to claim their second victory of the campaign and a record-equalling 14th consecutive win. They're now assured of a place in the semi-finals (as if that were ever in any doubt), and if they draw their last match against South Africa it'll be against the runners-up in Group A - probably Italy, if our guess is anything to go by.

Confederations Cup – Day 1 Review

Group A
South Africa 0 Iraq 0
Johannesburg

As far as the South Africans are concerned, the Confederations Cup provides the ideal opportunity to fine tune their preparations for next year’s World Cup Finals. Following yesterday’s 0-0 draw that opened this year’s competition, you can’t fail to be impressed by their attention to detail given the number of goalless draws that have opened World Cups in the past.

As predicted in our TV Guide on Friday, this match was high on pathos rather than quality. You have to bear in mind, though, that all the matches in South Africa will be played at altitude, but that’s no excuse for the hosts who just lack anyone that can put the ball in the back of the net.

Macbeth Sibaya had one of the best chances of the match, shooting from well outside the box to force Iraq ‘keeper Mohammed Kassid into a fine save, but that was a bit of a collectors’ item where this match was concerned.

Thembinkosi Fanteni glanced a header over the bar from a corner later on in the game and substitute Katlego Mashego squandered a great chance to finish off a Route One clearance by his keeper, but the worst missed opportunity came just six minutes before the end.

Siboniso Gaxa crossed a high ball into the Iraqi penalty area which Kassid came out to catch and missed. The ball dropped behind him allowing Kagisho Dikgacoi to divert it towards the goal line, however Bernard Parker was loitering in the wrong place at the wrong time and was unable to get out of the ball’s path. His inadvertent block ensured that the game finished 0-0.

That farcical display of non-scoring pretty much summed up South Africa’s potency in this match and indeed the match in general. Iraq lacked ambition and though their passing in midfield was good, their attack lacked any teeth – much like their opponents. Benni McCarthy must have been watching the match from home knowing only too well the difference he could have made to the scoreline.

Group A
New Zealand 0 Spain 5
Rustenburg

The simple fact of the matter is that this match could have ended embarrassingly for the All Whites. Predictably, Spain were all over New Zealand and were 4-0 up with only 24 minutes on the clock.

Fernando Torres was undoubtedly the star man for Spain. His hat-trick began with the game only six minutes old following a delightful curled shot from the edge of the penalty area. Eight minutes later, David Villa pulled the ball back from the by-line allowing Torres to side-foot into the net with ease. Three minutes after that, he powerfully headed in a cross from Joan Capdevila to complete an emphatic early display that dominated the scoring.

The game was all over as a contest before Cesc Fabregas added a fourth half-way through the first half. His tap-in was the climax to a brilliant 16-pass move that was as much an advert for Spain’s superb passing game as it was for New Zealand’s inability to mark their opponents efficiently.

Three minutes into the second half, David Villa got a goal of his own when New Zealand defender Andy Boyens produced an air shot of the highest quality which was meant as a clearance. Fernando Torres’ ball into the box ran through to Villa and a simple finish was enough to give the Spaniards their fifth and final goal of the match.

A series of substitutions and a definite intent to ease up on the part of Spanish coach Vicente Del Bosque allowed the Kiwis to hold the ship steady for the rest of the game, but the damage had already been done. Though they often had plenty of men behind the ball, none of them ever troubled their opposite number and when you can pass the ball around as well as Spain can, you’re always in danger of losing heavily.

So it turned out to be. Spain looked every inch the pre-tournament favourites and with such a sublime ability to pass and move to devastating effect, it’s difficult to see where they can go wrong.

New Zealand therefore go into Wednesday’s match against South Africa knowing that a win will all but ensure a place in the semi-finals while a repeat performance by Spain against Iraq is something you can virtually put your house on. The only uncertainty will surround the number of goals that will be scored.

The SPAOTP Confederations Cup 2009 Pull-out

Welcome to the Some People Are On The Pitch Confederations Cup 2009 Preview. The tournament starts on Sunday in South Africa and features eight national teams from around the world. While regarded as a minor tournament it has grown in prestige and intensity since its inception in 1992. The coaches will field strong teams and it promises to act as the perfect tonic to football starved fanatics and aficionados of the international game.

History and overview

The Confederations Cup began life in 1992 in Saudi Arabia as the King Fahd Cup. Presumably it was hosted there as an attempt by the Saudis and FIFA to promote the game in the region (although we'd be prepared to stick our necks out and say that quite a lot of money changed hands). The inaugural tournament had four teams: The Saudis themselves, USA, Argentina and Cote d'Ivoire. The Ivorians were African Champions that year. The US were there, presumably, as part of their build up to hosting the World Cup in 1994. Argentina were Copa America winners in 1991 and won this competition by beating Saudi Arabia in the Final in Riyadh 3-1. Leonard Rodriguez, Claudio Caniggia and Diego Simeone scored for the Argentines while Saeed Al Owairan scored for the Saudis. You may remember him for that magnificent solo goal he scored in the '94 World Cup against Belgium.

In 1995 the competition (renamed the Intercontinental Cup) was expanded to include teams from Asia and Europe. The teams were divided into two groups of three and it was the UEFA 92 winners Denmark who won the competition. They beat Argentina in the Final and Michael Laudrup was a scorer in the Danes' 2-0 victory. In 1997 the competition finally arrived at its current title of Confederations Cup and expanded to a further eight teams, to include the champions of the Oceania (OFC) region, Australia. That year, Brazil were the winners.

In 1999 the tournament moved away from Saudi Arabia to Mexico although the Saudis were invited as Asian representatives despite not being the Asian champions. It was the host nation who took the honours after defeating Brazil 4-3 in the Final. 2001 saw the competition settle down to its semi-regular format of dress rehearsal for the World Cup hosts the following year. Japan & South Korea shared the hosting duties in a competition won by the reigning World and European champions France.

And it was the French who played host in 2003. Their second successive win was overshadowed by the tragic death of Cameroon midfielder Marc-Vivien Foe who collapsed during the semi-final against Colombia.

Finally, Germany hosted 2005 and Brazil won their second trophy. There was no competition in 2007 and the tournament seems to have settled into a four-yearly pattern consisting of the hosts, the current world champions and the winners of the CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, UEFA, AFC and OFC regional champions.

2009 Competition Format

There are two groups of four teams. Each team will play each other once. The top two from each group goes through to Stage 2. The winners from Stage 2 progress to the Final and the losers will play off for third place.

Teams

Group A



South Africa (Hosts)
It's fair to say that Bafana Bafana would be nowhere near qualifying for this tournament or indeed the World Cup were they not the hosts. The knives were out for new coach Joel Santana before he'd even started and the consensus is that South Africa will struggle. Benni McCarthy's stormy relationship with the national team seems to be going through a particularly bad patch and the Blackburn Rovers striker has been left out of the squad - a decision that may result in Santana's head if it backfires. Having said that, McCarthy's replacement, Bernard Parker, scored last Saturday against Poland and South Africa won the match 1-0.

The draw has been kind to the hosts. They have been placed in the weaker group and they don't have to play Spain until the final game. If they can get something out of Iraq in their first fixture, they look good for Stage 2.

Iraq (AFC)
All right thinking football fans should have been moved by Iraq's stunning victory in the Asian Championships in 2007. Since then it's been pretty much downhill. Their progress to the World Cup was halted by Qatar in the qualification rounds (despite the fact that the Qataris use Brazilian ringers and fielded an ineligible player but let's not get into that). After that they failed to win a match. On the plus side their coach Bora Milutinovic is a veteran of tournament football and who knows, maybe Younis Mahmood, the goal-scoring hero of Jakarta, will rise to the occasion once again.

New Zealand (OFC)
Up until this week, there was not much to say about the All Whites. Oceana is an incredibly weak region, which is reflected by them only being awarded half a place in the World Cup. Having said that, New Zealand shocked Italy in a friendly last night. They didn't win but they ran them close. The final score was 4-3 to Italy! Perhaps if they'd had their best player, Ryan Nelsen of Blackburn in the defence they might have won. He is injured and not in the squad. The only other players you may of heard of are Chris Killen of Celtic unless, of course, you recall our A-League Spotlight earlier in the year in which case you'll be interested that last season's League's top scorer Shane Smeltz will line up against Spain next week.

Spain (UEFA)
The European champions are playing the rest of the continent's heads like a pair of bongos at the moment. What is there to say about Spain that has not already been said? They are awesome! A brilliant team of brilliant players playing brilliantly. They haven't lost a game of football since a friendly against Romania in November 2006 (Two Thousand And Six). Don't be surprised if Vicente Del Bosque fully utilises his squad in the early stages and leaves the likes of David Villa, Fernando Torres, Xavi et al on the bench until the later stages.

Group B



USA (CONCACAF)
MLS fans would liked to have seen more representation from the US domestic league from coach Bob Bradley. From a distance, Kenny Cooper's prolonged absence from the Nats seems a bit strange. Whither also Taylor Twellman? Perhaps our American readers can shed some light on this.

Instead, Coach Bradley has put together an assortment of journeyman European-based players. The usual suspects include Jay Demerit (Watford), DaMarcus Beasley (Scottish team), Clint Dempsey (Cottage legend) and Michael Bradley (bosses son). So far so humdrum. However, there are some players in the squad that may yet get the pulses racing. These include Jozy Altidore (the next Freddy Adu), Freddy Adu (The old Jozy Altidore) and Francisco Torres of Pachuca in Mexico. Plus with Tim Howard between the sticks and Landon Donovan slotting home those last minute penalties, the Gringos could expect to finish second in Group A. It's just a shame that they're in Group B.

Italy (World Champions)
Seems strange to look down an Italian squad list before an international tournament and not find Juventus' Grande Capitano, Alex Del Piero among the names. I suppose we will have to get used to it. The world champions' form going into this competition is not the best. Unconvincing draws with Ireland and Greece along with defeat to Brazil in a recent friendly (not to mention the bizarre game against New Zealand last night) suggests that Italy are in transition.

Coach Marcello (Count) Lippi has drawn on the likes of Gattusso, Pirlo, Zambrotta, Camoranesi and Cannavaro for experience and they'll be tough to beat. However, it will be interesting to see what the pacy Egyptians will make of their back line. Also, the front pair of Gilardino and Luca Toni have something to prove. Still, on the surface you'd expect the Azzuri to progress. At the least they'll be relieved to have avoided New Zealand.

Brazil (CONMEBOL)
Coach Dunga is a man who is constantly under even more pressure than your average Brazil manager. Criticism of his tactics and some indifferent results earlier in the World Cup qualifying campaign have left the former Cup winner vulnerable. The last two games should go some way in lifting the mood. A 3-0 spanking of whipping boys Peru was followed by an historic 4-0 victory against Uruguay in Montevideo (a place where Brazil never win).

Dunga has picked a full strength side for what will hopefully be an excellent sighter for their challenge next year. Robinho, Kaka, Dani Alves are all coming. So too is Milan wonderkid Alexandre Pato. This is also a chance for the young Nilmar to get the scouts pens scratching as he bids to make a big move to Europe.

Notable absentees are the fading genius Ronaldinho and the Bundesbag is personally disappointed that Diego can't be squeezed in somewhere but you can't have everything. Either way it's a squad to match the world's best and assuming they finish top, looks set for a mouth watering clash with Spain in the Final, depending on the attitude of the players.

Egypt (CAF)
The north Africans preparation for their trip south could not have been worse. They suffered a 3-1 defeat in their latest World Cup qualifier against their bitter rivals Algeria. The two nations share an acrimonious political history and defeat represents a national disgrace to the loser. Apparently the team were awful and as a consequence a return to South Africa one year hence is in doubt. It is suggested that the great squad that won back-to back African Cup Of Nations may be approaching its end.

Mido has been dropped for the tournament and Zaki has just had to pull out due to injury. Coach Hassan Shehata will be looking to Borussia Dortmund striker Mohammed Zidan. Add to that and they're in a stinker of a group. Perhaps the memory of Blida will be enough to spur them on?

Venues

Despite the condescending whinges of the western football media, South Africa will be ready for 2010. There are four stadiums in use for the Confederations Cup: Ellis Park (venue for the 1995 Rugby World Cup Final) in Johannesburg; the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein; which is in Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenberg and Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria as opposed to Loftus Road which backs onto South Africa Road in Shepherds Bush.

All venues are at high altitude so the participating teams who return next year should gain from the experience of playing in this competition.

Group Fixtures

June 14 16:00 - Johannesburg
South Africa v Iraq

June 14 20:30 - Rustenburg
New Zealand v Spain

June 15 16:00 - Mangaung/Bloemfontein
Brazil v Egypt

June 15 20:30 - Tshwane/Pretoria
USA v Italy

June 17 16:00 - Mangaung/Bloemfontein
Spain v Iraq

June 17 20:30 - Rustenburg
South Africa v New Zealand

June 18 16:00 - Tshwane/Pretoria
USA v Brazil

June 18 20:30 - Johannesburg
Egypt v Italy

June 20 20:30 - Johannesburg
Iraq v New Zealand

June 20 20:30 - Mangaung/Bloemfontein
Spain v South Africa

June 21 20:30 - Tshwane/Pretoria
Italy v Brazil

June 21 20:30 - Rustenburg
Egypt v USA

Stage 2 fixtures take place on 24th and 25th June. The Final and Third Place Play-Off will be played on 28th June.

TV Coverage

ESPN will be covering the competition in the US and if you ever hear a UK-based football fan complain about the TV License fee again, please direct them to the fact that every game will be covered live on BBC3. More details will be covered in our Confederations Cup TV Preview Special.