The expedition will take place from August 20th to August 26th.
The Igor Akinfeev Cup 2019 will feature 20 teams. The preliminary rounds will be played in four groups of five teams each, with tournaments held for each group's ranking to compete for the championship.
Group A:
CSKA, FK Rostov, Rubin Kazan, Baltika Kaliningrad, Kashima Antlers
Group B:
Dynamo Moscow, Enisey, Zenit St. P -b, Shinnik, Usti Nad Labem
Group C:
Spartak Moscow, Arsenal Tula, Luch Vladivostok, Nizhny Novgorod・UOR No5
Group D:
Lokomotiv Moscow, Khimki, Krasnodar, SKA Khabarovsk, Dynamo Minsk
On Tuesday, the 20th, we gathered at Narita Airport at 3 PM, completed check-in procedures, and took a commemorative photo together.
Due to bad weather that day, the flight was delayed by about 30 minutes, but we departed safely.
After transiting through Abu Dhabi Airport, we arrived at Moscow Airport at 7 AM on Wednesday, the 21st.
The temperature was around 27℃, and it felt a little chilly in the shade, but the weather was very pleasant.
We departed the airport at 8:15 AM and arrived at our accommodation after about a 1.5-hour bus ride.
The accommodation, reportedly used by the Portuguese national team during the 2018 Russia World Cup, is a very clean facility.
We had a late breakfast at 10 AM, then had an hour-long training session from 11 AM to work up a sweat and prepare for the matches.
After training and lunch, due to our expedition schedule, we went sightseeing in the city even though it was the day before the tournament.
It was a valuable experience for the players to immerse themselves in Russian culture.
After returning to the accommodation, Coach Tsuda spoke during a meeting after dinner, aiming to unify our preparation and mindset for the tournament.