Local Organizing Committee Reveals Russian Cities Nominated To Host Confederations Cup

The Local Organizing Committee revealed that four Russian cities -- Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan and the Black Sea resort of Sochi -- have been nominated to stage the 2017 Confederations Cup, according to Gennady Fyodorov of REUTERS. The eight-team tournament, scheduled to be played in June '17, will serve as a" "prelude to the World Cup to be hosted by the world's largest country for the first time the following year." The under-construction Gazprom-Arena in St. Petersburg is "set to stage the opening match and the final of the quadrennial event" (REUTERS, 11/20). INSIDE WORLD FOOTBALL's Duncan Mackay reported organizers also proposed Moscow's Spartak stadium, Sochi's Fisht Olympic Stadium and Kazan's Central Stadium as the venues for the Confederations Cup. The Fisht Olympic Stadium will also stage the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 2014 Winter Olympics (INSIDE WORLD FOOTBALL, 11/20).