The opening of the 2017 Confederations Cup is here, with hosts Russia taking on New Zealand in the first match of the tournament. Meant to act as a World Cup preview, the Confedrations Cup is always an interesting look at the top teams from each confederation in the world, as well as the reigning World Cup winners and the host nation of the next World Cup.
Russia vs. New Zealand 2017 live stream: Time, TV channel, and how to watch Confederations Cup online
A surprisingly fun New Zealand squad are hoping to spoil their hosts’ party in the Confederations Cup opener.
Photo by Anthony Au-Yeung/Getty Images
Russia are automatically part of the Confederations Cup as they’re hosting the tournament, as well as the 2018 World Cup. They’ve long had mediocre results at major international tournaments, though, failing to qualify for three of the last six World Cups and not getting out of the group stage in the three they did reach. Their record at the European Championships is little better, failing to get out of the group stage four times in the last five tournaments they’ve qualified for.
New Zealand are in the Confederations Cup thanks to winning the 2016 OFC Nations Cup tournament, and they are making their fourth Confederations Cup appearance. They’ve been a surprisingly fun team of late, though they lost both of their warm-up friendlies leading up this tournament. The All-Whites won every match they played in the OFC Nations Cup until having to settle for a penalty shootout win in the final after a scoreless regulation period. But their defense allowed just one goal all tournament long. They’re going to be a team to keep a close eye on in the Confederations Cup, because it looks possible that New Zealand will be in the World Cup next summer, as well.
To watch this match online in the United States, you can stream it on the Fox Soccer Match Pass subscription service, or for free on Fox Sports Go depending on your internet provider. In New Zealand, the match will be streamed on Sky Go NZ, and while the match isn’t being shown online in Russia, you can find viewing options for other countries by checking out LiveSoccerTV.
Match Date/Time: Saturday, 11 a.m. ET, 7 p.m. local
Venue: Saint Petersburg Stadium, Saint Petersburg, Russia
TV: Fox Sports 1 (U.S. - English), Telemundo (U.S. - Spanish), Channel One Russia, Match TV Game (Russia), Sky Sport 3 NZ (New Zealand)
Online: Fox Sports Go (U.S. - English), Telemundo (U.S. - Spanish), Sky Go NZ (New Zealand)
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