National Teams

History and Background

Cameroon may be the giants of Africa, with up to five African Cup of Nations titles — the second most successful nation in the tournament — and seven appearances in the World Cup — the most from an African team. However, they have failed to replicate that success on the world stage. 

Their second ever appearance at the World Cup was a magical one, as they narrowly fell to England in the quarterfinals of the 1990 edition. But apart from that, they have failed to even get out of the group stage in their other six appearances. 

On Sunday, we’ll be treated to only the fourth-ever meeting between Mexico and Portugal and the second-ever competitive fixture between the two nations. The match is also extremely rare where personal records are concerned — it’s not everyday that you see two all-time top goal scorers for their country go toe to toe.

With 47 goals from 92 appearances, Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez is El Tri’s record holder, averaging 0.51 goals per game. For Portugal, Cristiano Ronaldo has found the back of the net a record 73 times in 139 caps, good for 0.53 goals per game.

2017 FIFA Confederations Cup Preview: Mexico

History and Background

Since the Confederations Cup began in 1992, Mexico have only missed out on three occasions — making them joint leaders in participation alongside Brazil with seven appearances. They hosted the tournament in 1999 and ended up winning it, beating their arch-rivals the United States in the semifinals and then Brazil in the final. 

On Sunday, England won the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup, sparking snarky Brits to declare the nation had finally ended its 51-year cycle of hurt, dating back to last winning the World Cup in 1966. 

Despite being home to arguably the world’s most entertaining league, England has consistently failed to flatter at the international level. A stellar crop of English players (including David Beckham, Frank Lampard and Michael Owen) in the 2000s were dubbed the Golden Generation. Their play at the highest level didn’t exactly live up to the lofty moniker. 

No one likes a big-name signing more than Real Madrid, the home of the Galáctico. You almost get the feeling that club president Florentino Perez is a little dismayed at the recent success and stability brought by manager Zinedine Zidane.

History and Background

This will be New Zealand’s fourth ever presence in the Confederations Cup. A small island nation’s previous record hasn’t been so good, losing eight out of nine matches and only scoring twice. They will, however, hope to erase all the terrible memories and put on a good show against the three superior sides in the group.

History And Background

This tournament will be Russia’s first time ever hosting an international football competition in their history. The nation, home to some 144 million people where football is held as the major sport along with hockey, has been underwhelming to say the least when judged by their competitive record.

We’re less than a year away from the 2018 World Cup in Russia, but only eight teams have assured themselves of a spot in the 32-team tournament, one of them being the host nation.

Qualifying began back in March 2015 and will continue through this November, when the final berths will be booked. 

How does each confederation decide which nations will attend the World Cup? Read on. 

Africa (CAF)

Nations: 53

Spots: 5

Rounds: 3

In a joint announcement between the Australian government and the football association, the country formally declared their interest to host the 2023 Women’s World Cup. And their odds of landing it are high. The national side is currently ranked eighth in the world and has consistently performed on the global stage, making it to the quarterfinals in each of the last three World Cups. 

In 365 days — or 31,536,000 seconds, but who’s counting? — the 2018 World Cup will kick off from Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on June 14. A month later, the world champion will be crowned at the same stadium on July 15.

For that one month, all eyes will be on Russia, not for their meddling in U.S. elections or invading sovereign nations, but for the planet’s greatest sporting event.

Here’s what you need to know for the rapidly approaching World Cup.

Dates