face-off vs confrontation

face-off and confrontation both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
face-off	Yes	No	No	No
confrontation	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, face-off and confrontation are synonyms defined as:

Other synonyms of face-off include encounter, showdown.

face-off (noun)	confrontation (noun)
(ice hockey) the method of starting play; a referee drops the puck between two opposing players	the act of hostile groups opposing each other
a hostile disagreement face-to-face	a focussed comparison; bringing together for a careful comparison
	a hostile disagreement face-to-face
	a bold challenge
	discord resulting from a clash of ideas or opinions