In only a few days, the U-17 World Cup will start in Qatar. The match can be vital not solely from a sporting perspective — that includes most of the subsequent technology’s rising stars — but in addition from an organizational standpoint, with FIFA retaining an in depth eye on how this occasion unfolds forward of the 2026 senior occasion.
This youth competitors will mark the primary World Cup in historical past to characteristic 48 nationwide groups. It would function a trial run for the brand new expanded format that may debut on the senior stage subsequent summer season in america, Canada, and Mexico.
The construction of the match will mirror that of the upcoming occasion. Within the first spherical, the 48 groups are divided into 12 teams of 4. They are going to play one another inside their group to find out qualification for the knockout levels. The highest two groups in every group will mechanically advance, whereas the very best eight third-place finishers will even transfer on.
As soon as the 32 certified groups are decided, the knockout bracket can be set for the Spherical of 32. From there, it will likely be a single-elimination format till two finalists meet for the title. In contrast to the system used till 2022, the champion will now should play eight matches as an alternative of seven to elevate the trophy.
Lionel Messi’s Argentina received the final World Cup performed with 32 groups.
When and the place will the U-17 FIFA World Cup be performed?
The U-17 World Cup 2025 will kick off on Monday, November 3, and run for almost 4 weeks till Thursday, November 27. A complete of 104 matches can be performed, making a packed schedule — notably throughout the group stage, when as many as eight video games can be held every day.
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The complete match will happen on the Aspire Academy, a sports activities complicated situated in Doha, Qatar. Established in 2004, the ability has developed into one of many premier coaching facilities on the earth in recent times. It options eight out of doors fields, permitting for a number of matches to be performed concurrently.
The one exception would be the ultimate. The championship match of the U-17 World Cup 2025 can be held at Khalifa Worldwide Stadium, additionally in Doha. The venue hosted eight video games throughout the 2022 FIFA World Cup, together with the third-place match between Croatia and Morocco.
Which groups will compete within the U-17 World Cup?
As the primary FIFA World Cup to characteristic an expanded 48-team format, the U-17 version in Qatar will embrace a lot of nations — a lot of that are making uncommon or debut appearances on the worldwide stage.
Under is the complete listing of teams:
- Group A: Qatar, Italy, South Africa, Bolivia
- Group B: Japan, Morocco, New Caledonia, Portugal
- Group C: Senegal, Croatia, Costa Rica, United Arab Emirates
- Group D: Argentina, Belgium, Tunisia, Fiji
- Group E: England, Venezuela, Haiti, Egypt
- Group F: Mexico, South Korea, Ivory Coast, Switzerland
- Group G: Germany, Colombia, North Korea, El Salvador
- Group H: Brazil, Honduras, Indonesia, Zambia
- Group I: United States, Burkina Faso, Tajikistan, Czech Republic
- Group J: Paraguay, Uzbekistan, Panama, Eire
- Group Okay: France, Chile, Canada, Uganda
- Group L: Mali, New Zealand, Austria, Saudi Arabia
