Qatar Kicks Off FIFA U-17 World Cup 2025 Against Italy Tomorrow

Doha, Qatar: The FIFA U-17 World Cup 2025 is set to commence on October 30, 2023, with host nation Qatar facing Italy in the opening match. This tournament features a record 48 national teams, making it the largest in the event’s history. The competition will run until November 27, concluding with the final at the prestigious Khalifa International Stadium.

This marks the beginning of a series of five consecutive tournaments that Qatar will host, culminating in 2029. Matches are scheduled to take place across eight venues within the Aspire Academy complex, with a total of 104 matches spread over 25 days. Fans can expect up to eight matches per day during the various stages of the tournament.

Opening Day Highlights and Team Preparations

The Qatar national team will kick off the tournament at 18:45 local time on Pitch No. 7, competing in Group A alongside Italy, South Africa, and Bolivia. Al-Annabi aims for a strong start, hoping to improve upon their best-ever result, which was fourth place in the 1991 U-17 World Cup held in Italy.

Under the guidance of Spanish coach Alvaro Mejia, the Qatari squad has undergone extensive preparations, participating in numerous tournaments and friendly matches. Their recent overseas training camp included games against Belgium, Croatia, and Ukraine, where they registered a notable victory against Ukraine.

The tournament’s opening day features eight matches, beginning with Bolivia’s match against South Africa at 15:30 on Aspire Field No. 3. Following that, Costa Rica will face the United Arab Emirates at the same time on Aspire Field No. 8. This will be the UAE’s first appearance in the tournament as an Arab nation, marking their fourth overall participation.

New Format and Exciting Changes

This edition introduces a revamped tournament format, with teams divided into 12 groups of four. Each group will compete in a round-robin format, allowing the top two teams, along with the eight best third-placed teams, to advance to the Round of 32. This change allows for a total of 32 teams to progress to the knockout stage, which includes the Round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, and the final.

Prior to the group draw held in Doha in May, FIFA allocated the teams into four seeding pots based on their performances in the last five U-17 World Cups. As the host nation, Qatar was placed in Pot 1 and seeded at the top of Group A. The final group allocations are as follows:

• 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, Côte d’Ivoire, 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, Ireland
• Group K: France, Chile, Canada, Uganda
• Group L: Mali, New Zealand, Austria, Saudi Arabia

The local organizing committee has made significant preparations to ensure a successful tournament, leveraging Qatar’s extensive experience in hosting major sporting events. With an expanded format and a festive atmosphere surrounding the venues, the FIFA U-17 World Cup Qatar 2025 promises to be a groundbreaking celebration of youth football.