They rather liked King Fahd’s idea of gathering the globe’s reigning champions all in one place. Matches involving Argentina, Mexico, Nigeria, Japan, Saudi Arabia and, finally, Denmark, were played in front of decent attendances but nowhere near the capacity ones seen in the first edition.īy 1997, FIFA had seen enough from the sidelines. This time, it was a January event and this time the crowds did not flock to the King Fahd Stadium. The King Fahd Cup was not such a resounding success at home when it was next held three years later. The other two games attracted crowds of 15,000 or less in the same stadium. At least 70,000 people attended the matches involving Saudi Arabia. Gabriel Batistuta also started up front and Fernando Redondo was named player of the tournament. Oceania’s title-winners didn’t compete until 1997.Īrgentina were, surprise, surprise, the first winners of the tournament, daring to beat Saudi Arabia 3-1 in the final at the King Fahd Stadium in Riyadh, with a goal from Diego Simeone sealing the victory. Newly crowned European champions Denmark did not take part in the October games of 1992.
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His royal highness was kind enough to invite South American champions Argentina, North American champions USA and African champions Ivory Coast to compete alongside his own country. For the first couple of editions, the competition wasn’t under the jurisdiction of FIFA at all, instead conjured up as the King Fahd Cup in honour of the occupant of Saudi Arabia’s throne at the time. And no, it wasn’t Arsene Wenger’s idea.Īll this leaves the 2017 Confederations Cup in Russia, which was not a particularly memorable affair but for the rather tedious introduction of VAR onto the quote-unquote world stage, as the last edition of a tournament that began 25 years earlier. Of course, a 24-team Club World Cup – which was cancelled in 2021 to make way for Euro 2020, the Copa America and whatnot – was not what most of us might have been asking for. Or in Qatar’s case, the summer before the summer before a World Cup. In 2019, FIFA consigned the Confederations Cup to history, replacing it with an expanded 24-team Club World Cup, which would take place the summer (winter for you southern hemispherers) before a World Cup. It was a decision made before places like Wuhan and Barnard Castle became household names. The decision not to hold a Confederations Cup in 2021 was not made out of the kindness of FIFA’s heart to reduce players’ workload after a relentless 18 months in COVID-era football. Next year is World Cup year – and if it’s already World Cup year when you’re reading this, where have you been? – and that can only mean one thing. For football’s governing bodies, it might be the physical and mental welfare of its players. For you, it might be leaving the key in the door.