Hosts Qatar to play Italy in FIFA U-17 World Cup opener
'The tournament will be hosted in its entirety in the world-class Aspire Academy, with the final match to be held at Khalifa International Stadium, one of our historic Qatar 2022 venues,' said Rashid Al Khater, Executive Director of Operations of the Local Organizing Committee.
Al Khater added: 'This will be more than just a football tournament, as fans will be treated to a festival-like atmosphere where they can enjoy a robust fan zone that meets all their needs as they take in some exciting football matches.'
Hosts Qatar have been drawn into group A alongside Italy, South Africa, and Bolivia. The young Maroons will look to improve on Qatar's best performance in the tournament when they claimed fourth place in 1991.
Qatar's second game will be against South Africa on November 6 while their third game will be against Bolivia on November 9.
'Having the under-17 World Cup hosted in Qatar for five consecutive years provides young players with a wonderful opportunity to compete against the best teams in the world. This type of competition will have a great impact on the development of young players and will once again positively reflect Qatar's ability to host mega sporting events,' said Alvaro Perez, head coach of the Qatar under-17 team.
Drawn alongside Qatar are South Africa. For head coach Vela Khumalo, the tournament has the potential to have global impact. The Amajimbos will be making their second appearance at the FIFA U-17 World Cup after their debut in 2015.
'The tournament is important for the entire world. That's why we were so keen to qualify and participate in the competition hosted by Qatar. The World Cup provides us with a platform to interact with teams and players from all around the world, which will undoubtedly have a tremendous impact on the skills and abilities of our players,' said Khumalo.
A total of 48 teams will play 104 matches over a period of 24 days. They have been divided into 12 groups.
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, Korea, Republic, Côte d'Ivoire, Switzerland Group G: Germany, Colombia, Korea DPR, El Salvador Group H: Brazil, Honduras, Indonesia, Zambia Group I: USA, Burkina Faso, Tajikistan, Czechia Group J: Paraguay, Uzbekistan, Panama, Republic of Ireland Group K: France, Chile Canada, Uganda
Group L: Mali, New Zealand, Austria, Saudi Arabia
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