Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said the Confederations Cup next year is wide open, while Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque acknowledged that there is extra pressure on his team because of recent results.
Host Brazil was drawn into Group A on Saturday, along with European Championship runner-up Italy, Gold Cup winner Mexico and Asian champion Japan. World Cup holder Spain will play in Group B with South American champion Uruguay, Oceania champion Tahiti and a yet-to-be decided African Cup of Nations winner.
The eight-team warm-up tournament will be played June 15-30 in six Brazilian cities. Two-time defending champion Brazil will play the opener against Japan in the capital of Brasilia.
"To me there are no favourites for the title," said Scolari, returning to the national team 10 years after winning the 2002 World Cup. "Neither Brazil nor Spain are favourites, no team is. In our group, the two teams which advance will be just as good as the other two which don't. And there will be two quality teams which will advance from the other group."
Scolari dismissed the notion Brazil was drawn in the toughest group.
"There is no such thing," the former Chelsea and Portugal coach said. "We have to go out and play. We think it will be good for us to have strong teams to play against and prepare for the World Cup."
Del Bosque said he expects a difficult tournament despite Spain's recent success, beginning with the first match against Uruguay on June 16 in the north-eastern city of Recife.
"There's no denying that there's more responsibility on us because of the results we've had in the last few years," he said. "We can't forget though that Uruguay weren't that far behind us in finishing fourth at South Africa, or that the African champions are always tough opponents, no matter who they are."
He said Brazil must be considered a top contender.
"Everyone has been writing Brazil off recently but you have to remember that they're the reigning Confederations Cup champions, that less than four years ago they were the ones picking up this trophy," Del Bosque said.
Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez is wary of the match against the world champions.
"I think Spain is the toughest opponent," he said. "You only have to look at their results in the last few years and the way they've been playing."
Italy coach Cesar Prandelli was happy with the draw but said travelling across Brazil may be a concern. The Italians will begin on June 16 against Mexico at Mara-cana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, then face Japan on June 19 in Recife and Brazil three days later in Salvador.
"Surely it's going to be challenging, but we will be ready to face this," Prandelli said.
Mexico coach Jose Manuel de la Torre said the event will give his team a chance to improve.
"We won't be coming along just to take part," he said. "We want to get through to the next round and go for the title, just like we did in Mexico in 1999. It's clear that Mexico has shown itself in different tournaments and done very well. We know that we have the power to beat any team anywhere."
Japan coach Alberto Zaccheroni said he doesn't expect "your average game" when facing his home country for the first time on June 19 in Recife. But the Italian said he is more concerned that Japan will have to play Brazil in the opener just four days after a World Cup qualifying match against Iraq.
"It will be a challenge planning the trip to arrive in good shape," he said.
Tahiti is thrilled just to have qualified, and coach Etaeta knows his team will be glad to gain some experience.
"It's amazing for us to think that here we are, a little country of 250,000 people, playing against the best teams in the world," he said. "We'll be out to represent our region the best we possibly can."
