After becoming the first Arab nation to host a World Cup in 2022, Qatar will now host the new edition of the U-17 Men’s World Cup, FIFA’s main men’s youth tournament, expanded to 48 teams. In addition, the agreement includes that it will be held in the country annually from 2025 to 2029, changing said competition from being biannual to being annual. Similarly, Morocco will also host the U-17 Women’s World Cup annually during the same five-year period.
Last year, FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced the expansion of the participating nations in the FIFA U-17 World Cup as part of FIFA’s strategic objectives. Now, the concept of granting a single country the organization of the competition for five years, although it constitutes an important novelty, follows the same logic as that contained in the objectives. According to FIFA, “increasing the frequency of the tournament and the number of teams that will have the option to qualify will give more young talents the opportunity to show their qualities and compete more often against the best players in the world in their age category.” “.
Gianni Infantino during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. (FIFA)
In this way, thanks to the possibility of organizing a competition over several years, countries will be able to optimize the use of existing football facilities and other infrastructure such as transport and accommodation services. The concept allows organizational structures to be maintained from one edition to the next, as well as providing more experience to those working on the tournament, optimizing efficiency, reducing costs and ensuring that the organization improves each year.
“Qatar organized the best World Cup in history”
“In 2022, Qatar hosted the best FIFA World Cup in history and the first to be held in an Arab country. I am delighted that it will host a FIFA competition again, taking advantage of the fantastic facilities they enjoyed some of the best footballers on the planet,” declared the FIFA president, who added that “Qatar has already demonstrated its excellent ability to organize tournaments. If we add to that its incomparable hospitality and the structures and stadiums of which it has already available, I am sure that the main talents on the planet will enjoy optimal conditions to compete.
