Author: Soorya G
FIFA recently held the draw for the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup, a much-anticipated event that has been proposed several times since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally scheduled for 2021 and initially planned to be hosted by Peru, the tournament has undergone significant changes, including a change of venue to Indonesia.
With less than two months to go until kick-off, the draw for the group stage has set the scene for what promises to be an exciting competition. Brazil, the reigning champions who won on home soil in 2019, are in the same group as England, another nation with immense potential. New Caledonia and Iran are also part of this quartet. The draw ceremony was attended by notable soccer figures, including Brazilian legend Júlio César, who was runner-up in the 1995 World Cup, FIFA director Jaime Yarza and Ghanaian soccer icon Stephen Appiah, who was part of the winning team in 1995.
The 24 participating teams were divided into six groups of four. The tournament format allows the top two teams in each group, plus the four third-placed teams with the best performances, to advance to the knockout stage. The competition will then include the round of 16, the quarter-finals, the semi-finals, the third-place play-off and, finally, the grand final.
The final part of the tournament will take place from November 10 to December 2, 2023.
- Group A. Indonesia, Ecuador, Panama and Morocco.
- Group B. Spain, Canada, Mali, Uzbekistan.
- Group C. Brazil, Iran, New Caledonia, England.
- Group D. Japan, Poland, Argentina and Senegal.
- Group E. France, Burkina Faso, Republic of Korea, USA.
- Group F. Mexico, Germany, Venezuela and New Zealand.