All roads will lead to India from Friday for the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup football – not cricket – competition.
Here is a lowdown on everything you should know about the event.
When is the U-17 World Cup?
The showpiece will run from October 6 to 20 2017.
When did India get the hosting right?
The Asian nation was handed the hosting rights in December 2013 fending off competition from Azerbaijan, Republic of Ireland and Uzbekistan. This will be the first time the world’s second most populous nation will be hosting a FIFA tournament.
What about match venues?
Fifty-two matches will be played across six stadiums in six host cities around the country, namely:
Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata
DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai
Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi
Fatorda Stadium, Margao
Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, Guwahati
Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kochi
The final is billed for the 67,000 capacity Salt Lake Stadium.
Who are the qualified countries?
A total of 24 teams qualified for the final tournament. In addition to India, the other 23 teams made it from six separate continental competitions.
Africa: Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Niger
Asia: India (hosts), Iran, Iraq, Japan, Korea DPR
Europe: England, France, Germany, Spain, Turkey
Central, North America and Caribbean: Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico, USA
Oceania: New Caledonia, New Zealand
South America: Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay
Any debutant(s)?
Yes. Three teams are making their first appearance at the event – Niger, New Caledonia as well as hosts India.
Who’re the defending champions?
Nigeria. However, the Golden Eaglets, record five-time champions, failed to make the cut this time.
How about the favourites?
As in other international tourneys, Brazil arrive India with the favourite tag. In the absence of Nigeria, the junior Selecao, with three titles, are the most decorated side. They would have to battle with Mexico, another side with some sort of dominance at the youth level.
What about the underdogs?
Forget they’re the host, India head into the competition as one of the underdogs. Yes, they may have the support of over one billion fans, but have never been to any major competition of any kind, hence expect them to stutter.
