FIFA U17 World Cups to be held annually from 2025
The FIFA U17 World Cup will be held annually instead of biennially, with the next five editions from 2025 to take place in Qatar.
Like the senior men’s World Cup, the U17 tournament will be expanded to 48 teams, FIFA said.
The women’s U17 World Cup will also be played annually from 2025, with Morocco hosting an expanded 24-team event until 2029. The 2022 edition had 16 teams.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.“This followed a global call for expressions of interest in hosting both competitions, with a focus on leveraging the use of existing footballing infrastructure in the interest of tournament efficiencies and sustainability,” FIFA said.
The last men’s U17 World Cup was held in 2023 with Germany winning their first title. Spain won the women’s edition in 2022.
Qatar hosted the 2022 senior men’s World Cup in winter while Morocco are one of the co-hosts for the 2030 edition.
FIFA also said a record $US2.25 billion ($A3.4b) had been earmarked for the 2023-2026 cycle for investment in football development.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino also called for the imposition of stricter measures to combat racism. Last month, he called for teams to face automatic defeat if their fans displayed racist behaviour.
“The 74th FIFA Congress will mark a milestone in FIFA’s ongoing efforts to fight racism with new and stricter measures to be applied worldwide in cooperation with all our member associations and the confederations,” Infantino added.
On May 17, The hosts for the 2027 Women’s World Cup will also be voted on.
There are three bids for the tournament, including one from Brazil, a joint one from Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands, and another joint bid from Mexico and the US.
