Russia was announced as the host on 2 December 2010 after the country was awarded the hosting rights of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The matches will be played in four different stadiums across four cities: Saint Petersburg, Moscow, Kazan and Sochi. It will be the first time Russia hosts the tournament, and the third time the Confederations Cup is held within the European continent. As hosts, Russia automatically qualified for the tournament. The six winners of the FIFA confederation championships as well as the 2014 FIFA World Cup champions, Germany, also qualified.