What the Confederations Cup Can Teach Us About World Cup 2014

Don't go pouring your life savings on the winners of the upcoming Confederations Cup winning the World Cup in Brazil next year—that's not how this competition works.

What has now become synonymous with being the prelude to the World Cup, competed by eight teams in the country that will host the following year's main event, has had a confusing upbringing.

Originally known as the King Fahd cup, it was always played in Saudi Arabia, and involved the Saudi national team and several of the continental champions. It only stayed under this guise for two tournaments though ('92 and '95), before FIFA took it over.

Even under FIFA it wasn't originally the Confederations Cup we know today. It was played every two years, and only in 2001 did they introduce the idea of it being played as a World Cup warm-up—and only since 2005 has it been played every four years, rather than two.

Of the four competitions that have preceded the World Cup since 1997, Brazil have won three. Although, ironically, it is the time they didn't win it—in 2001, when France won it—that they went on to win the World Cup in 2002.

Teams 

We should learn the most about the hosts of the tournament. Ten members of their squad are still based in Brazil, yet to flee for Europe, while another 10 still have fewer than 10 caps.

Dani Alves, at 30, is their oldest outfield player and, as they have seen their world ranking dramatically fall, the Confederations Cup, as the host nation especially, represents a massive opportunity for their burgeoning squad to lay some invaluable groundwork ahead of next summer's Grand Slam.

There will be plenty of people gauging what they can learn from A Selecao, and it would be unlike them to disappoint.

Having shocked Germany to reach the European Championships final last summer, Italy will carry an interesting threat and we should learn a fair bit more about Cesare Prandelli's men in Brazil.

Implementing both a 3-5-2 and a midfield diamond in Poland and Ukraine, the Azzurri were brave enough to show a shift away away from the common 4-2-3-1. It's not uncommon to see Italian sides implementing new formations and tactics, and Prandelli may give us an early glimpse into tactical trends ahead of next year's World Cup. 

Representing Asia, Japan often add an element of surprise to this competition. Complete with technical players, who have an energy about them, they were beaten finalists in 2001 and have 12 players based in Japan who will be keen to catch the eye of European clubs. 

Spain are unlikely to teach us anything we don't already know, judging by the predictability of their squad—although the number of strikers suggests a possible move away from the now infamous false nine.

Nigeria qualified as the African champions, while there are three teams who we might be learning about in vein as their participation in next summer's World Cup hangs in the balance.

Tahiti will definitely not be returning to Brazil, Uruguay have work to do to make the top five in South America and Mexico, surprisingly, are currently out of the qualifying positions in North and Central America—their fate does remain in their hands, though.

Players 

You have to feel for Neymar. He has the whole world casting aspersions after his move to Barcelona. Yet, having played his whole career in Brazil, it is questionable how many times the majority of people have seen him play 90 minutes.

The Confederations Cup, under the watching eye of millions, is the perfect chance for everyone to get to know him better—for better or for worse.

One man people rarely tire of learning about is Mario Balotelli. The Italian, possibly paired up front with AC Milan colleague Stephan El Shaarawy, will no doubt teach us something very special or something very stupid during the tournament.

Marama Vahirua is Tahiti's only professional player. The 33-year-old striker is contracted to French side Nancy, but spent last season on loan at Greek side Panthrakikos. He won't be able to teach us much about the World Cup, other than the tale of the underdog, which will be a recurring theme whenever the bigger nations meet the smaller ones.

Keep an eye on Shinji Kagawa too. The Japanese star remains highly rated by his old boss Jurgen Klopp. Despite an in-and-out first season with Manchester United, he remains central to his national team, and how he gets the ticking will be a huge indicator as to how much of a threat the Japanese could carry next year.

Being hosted by Brazil, though, the competition should be a carnival of fun.

It's unlikely any of the big sides' performances will reveal too much about how they will perform next summer—Spain were dumped out by the USA in South Africa but still won the following World Cup.

It will act as a chance for the Brazilian authorities and FIFA to have some practice at staging an event in the country, and will serve to whet the world's appetite for Brazil 2014.

And with some of the best sides in the world, there should be plenty of fun.