September 18 – The draw to decide the five groups for the upcoming FIFA Under-17 World Cup 2023 in Indonesia took place on Friday.
Hosts Indonesia, who will mark their first ever appearance in the FIFA U-17 World Cup, assumed their place in Group A alongside Ecuador, Morocco and Panama, and will kick off their World Cup campaign on November 10 against Ecuador.
Brazil, who won the last edition of the tournament in 2019, were placed alongside 2017 winners England in Group C, with Iran and New Caledonia.
The 2017 Cup-winning England side was comprised of eventual Premier League mainstays including Phil Foden, Jadon Sancho, Marc Guehi, Morgan Gibbs-White and Emile Smith-Rowe
Notably, five-time U-17 World Cup champions Nigeria are absent from this year’s competition after failing to qualify.
Qualified teams for the tournament include Argentina, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Canada, Ecuador, England, France, Germany, Indonesia (hosts), IR Iran, Japan, Korea Republic, Mali, Mexico, Morocco, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Panama, Poland, Senegal, Spain, USA, Uzbekistan and Venezuela.
The FIFA U-17 World Cup Indonesia 2023 will be a multi-city event, featuring matches that will unfold across four Host Cities: Bandung, Jakarta, Surabaya, and Surakarta. The crowning of the eventual champions will take place in Surakarta on December 2.
November 10 will mark the start of the first edition of the tournament since 2019, with the 2021 tournament being cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
FIFA Director of Tournaments, Jaime Yarza, presided over the draw, with former U-17 World Cup champion Stephen Appiah and Júlio César, who played a pivotal role in the 1995 final, assuming the role of draw assistants.
Tickets are on sale exclusively in Fifa.com, starting at IDR 125,000 (£6.56).
The tournament has seen some of the world’s most talented players throughout the years such as Xavi, Gianluigi Buffon and Francesco Totti, with the competition being the first step in each of their careers.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at moc.l1734976541labto1734976541ofdlr1734976541owedi1734976541sni@g1734976541niwe.1734976541yrrah1734976541