Strictly speaking, 2009 is the sixth FIFA Confederations Cup. The first event under FIFA's wings took place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in 1997. The two forerunner tournaments, however, also organised by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation in the Saudi capital in 1992 and 1995, are generally included in historical and statistical reviews. Brazil & France: With two wins each, Brazil (1997 & 2005) and France (2001 & 2003) hold the record for the most title triumphs. In addition, the Seleçao also made it to the final in 1999 and the semi-finals in 2001. Difficult title defence: Only one team, France (2003), has ever successfully defended its title. 2009 -- a vintage year: Spain, Italy, Brazil: never before have three of the top five teams in the FIFA world ranking featured in the same Confederations Cup. It is a line-up fit for the World Cup. There will also be cause for celebration in Johannesburg on 18 June when Egypt and Italy meet in the 100th match in the history of the Confederations Cup. Illustrious newcomers: Altogether, 26 teams have played in the FIFA Confederations Cup. The only newcomers in the 2009 edition are Iraq and the two European teams -- reigning world champions Italy and European champions Spain. Acid test for the LOC: Ever since the 2001 Confederations Cup in Korea and Japan, the competition has been an acid test for the organisers of the World Cup who have the opportunity to fine-tune their preparations. Mixed outlook for Italy: Every edition of the Confederations Cup held in a pre-World Cup year has been won by the reigning world champions -- who subsequently failed to defend their world title. All eyes are on Italy. Africa is the fourth continent to host the Confederations Cup after stops in three other regions (Asia 4x, Europe 2x, North America in 1999). African hopes: Africa has yet to win a Confederations Cup. Cameroon came close in 2003 when it lost to defending champions France in Paris, becoming "the people's champions" following the tragic death of Marc- Vivien Foé who collapsed unchallenged during the semi-final against Colombia in Lyons. South Africa is playing in its second Confederations Cup and will be hoping for more luck than in its last match in December 1997 when it narrowly lost 4-3 to group winners Uruguay after a goal in the very last minute. Home advantage: No more than a slight advantage for Bafana Bafana. Only Mexico (in 1999) and France (2003) have triumphed on home soil. Nevertheless, Japan reached the final in 2001 and Germany only narrowly missed out on a place in the final four years ago. Crowd-puller: On average, more than 60,000 fans flocked to each of the 16 matches in Mexico in 1999. A capacity crowd of 110,000 saw Mexico triumph over Brazil in the final. With an overall average attendance of 36,000, the Confederations Cup is not far behind the World Cup itself (44,000). Continental derbies have been few and far between at the Confederations Cup. Two teams from the same confederation have only come up against each other on three occasions. The most recent encounter was the super clàsico between Brazil and Argentina in the 2005 final. There could be an addition to this list in 2009 (if South Africa meets Egypt or if Spain play Italy). Goals do not tend to be in short supply at the Confederations Cup. The average of nearly three goals per game (2.91) is far superior to that of the World Cup. At the Confederations Cup in Germany in 2005, the average was actually 3.50, whereas one year later, the World Cup average was only 2.30. Top overall goalscorers: Cuathemoc Blanco (MEX) and Ronaldinho (BRA) share top billing with nine goals each. Hat-trick gala: Two hat-tricks in a final: Brazil's 6-0 win over Australia in 1997, with three goals apiece for Romario and Ronaldo, was unprecedented at the time, and it has not happened again since. Mr Confederations Cup: An honour that can only be bestowed upon Brazilian goalkeeper Dida who played in all five FIFA-organised Confederation Cups from 1997 to 2005. Twenty-two matches (in which he missed a mere eight minutes), not a single yellow card and, of course, the two wins in 1997 and 2005 speak for themselves.
