FIFA U-17 World Cup
Organising bodyFIFA
Founded1985 (1985)
RegionInternational
Number of teams24 (finals)
Related competitionsFIFA U-20 World Cup
Current champions Germany (1st title)
Most successful team(s) Nigeria (5 titles)
Websitefifa.com/u17worldcup
2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup

The FIFA U-17 World Cup, founded as the FIFA U-16 World Championship, later changed to U-17 in 1991 and to its current name in 2007, is the world championship of association football for male players under the age of 17 organized by Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). The current champion is Germany, which won its first title at the 2023 tournament.

History

The FIFA U-17 World Cup is a competition that was inspired by the Lion City Cup that was created by the Football Association of Singapore in 1977. The Lion City Cup was the first under-16 football tournament in the world. Following FIFA's then secretary-general Sepp Blatter's recommendation after he was in Singapore for the 1982 Lion City Cup, FIFA created the FIFA U-16 World Championship.[1]

The first edition was staged in 1985 in China,[2] and tournaments have been played every two years since then. It began as a competition for players under the age of 16 with the age limit raised to 17 from the 1991 edition onward. The 2017 tournament which was hosted by India became the most attended in the history of the tournament, with the total attendance of the FIFA U-17 World Cup reaching 1,347,133.[3]

Nigeria is the most successful nation in the tournament's history, with five titles and three runners up. Brazil is the second-most successful with four titles and two runners-up. Ghana and Mexico have won the tournament twice.

A corresponding tournament for female players, the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, began in 2008, with North Korea winning the inaugural tournament.

Structure

Each tournament consists of a group phase, in which four teams play against one another and standings in the group table decide which teams advance, followed by a knockout phase of successive matches where the winning team advances through the competition and the losing team is eliminated. This continues until two teams remain to contest the final, which decides the tournament winner. The losing semi-finalists also contest a match to decide third place.

From 1985 to 2005 there were 16 teams in the competition, divided into four groups of four teams each in the group phase. Each team played the others in its group and the group winner and runner up qualified for the knockout phase. From 2007 the tournament was expanded to 24 teams, divided into six groups of four teams each. The top 2 places in each group plus the four best third-placed teams advanced to the knockout phase.

Competition matches are played in two 45-minute halves (i.e., 90 minutes in total). In the knockout phase, until the 2011 tournament, if tied at the end of 90 minutes an additional 30 minutes of extra time were played, followed by a penalty shoot-out if still tied. Starting with the 2011 tournament, the extra time period was eliminated to avoid player burnout, and all knockout games progress straight to penalties if tied at the end of 90 minutes.

From 2024 the tournament will take place annually and will have 48 participating teams divided into 4 'mini-tournaments' of 12 teams each divided into 3 groups of 4 with the winners and best runner up qualifying to the MT semi-finals and the 2 winners qualifying to the final. The winner of each MT would qualify to a 'final four' tournament with 2 semi-finals, a third place match and a final to decide the FIFA U17 World Champions.[4]

Qualification

The host nation of each tournament qualifies automatically. The remaining teams qualify through competitions organised by the six regional confederations. For the first edition of the tournament in 1985, all of the teams from Europe plus Bolivia appeared by invitation of FIFA.

Confederation Championship
AFC (Asia) AFC U-17 Asian Cup
CAF (Africa) U-17 Africa Cup of Nations
CONCACAF (North, Central America and Caribbean) CONCACAF Under-17 Championship
CONMEBOL (South America) South American Under-17 Football Championship
OFC (Oceania) OFC U-16 Championship
UEFA (Europe) UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship

Results

Tournament names
  • 1985–1989: FIFA U-16 World Championship
  • 1991–2005: FIFA U-17 World Championship
  • 2007–present: FIFA U-17 World Cup
Keys
Ed. Year Host Final Third place game Num.
teams
1st place, gold medalist(s) Champions Score 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runners-up 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Third place Score Fourth place
1 1985  China
Nigeria
2–0
West Germany

Brazil
4–1
Guinea
16
2 1987  Canada
Soviet Union
1–1 (a.e.t.)
(4–2 p)

Nigeria

Ivory Coast
2–1 (a.e.t.)
Italy
16
3 1989  Scotland
Saudi Arabia
2–2 (a.e.t.)
(5–4 p)

Scotland

Portugal
3–0
Bahrain
16
4 1991  Italy
Ghana
1–0
Spain

Argentina
1–1 (a.e.t.)
(4–1 p)

Qatar
16
5 1993  Japan
Nigeria
2–1
Ghana

Chile
1–1 (a.e.t.)
(4–2 p)

Poland
16
6 1995  Ecuador
Ghana
3–2
Brazil

Argentina
2–0
Oman
16
7 1997  Egypt
Brazil
2–1
Ghana

Spain
2–1
Germany
16
8 1999  New Zealand
Brazil
0–0 (a.e.t.)
(8–7 p)

Australia

Ghana
2–0
United States
16
9 2001  Trinidad and Tobago
France
3–0
Nigeria

Burkina Faso
2–0
Argentina
16
10 2003  Finland
Brazil
1–0
Spain

Argentina
1–1 (a.e.t.)
(5–4 p)

Colombia
16
11 2005  Peru
Mexico
3–0
Brazil

Netherlands
2–1
Turkey
16
12 2007  South Korea
Nigeria
0–0 (a.e.t.)
(3–0 p)

Spain

Germany
2–1
Ghana
24
13 2009  Nigeria
Switzerland
1–0
Nigeria

Spain
1–0
Colombia
24
14 2011  Mexico
Mexico
2–0
Uruguay

Germany
4–3
Brazil
24
15 2013  United Arab Emirates
Nigeria
3–0
Mexico

Sweden
4–1
Argentina
24
16 2015  Chile
Nigeria
2–0
Mali

Belgium
3–2
Mexico
24
17 2017  India
England
5–2
Spain

Brazil
2–0
Mali
24
18 2019  Brazil
Brazil
2–1
Mexico

France
3–1
Netherlands
24
19 2023  Indonesia
Germany
2–2
(4–3 p)

France

Mali
3–0
Argentina
24
20 2025 TBD 24

Teams reaching the top four

Team Titles Runners-up Third place Fourth place
 Nigeria 5 (1985, 1993, 2007, 2013, 2015) 3 (1987, 2001, 2009)
 Brazil 4 (1997, 1999, 2003, 2019) 2 (1995, 2005) 2 (1985, 2017) 1 (2011)
 Ghana 2 (1991, 1995) 2 (1993, 1997) 1 (1999) 1 (2007)
 Mexico 2 (2005, 2011) 2 (2013, 2019) 1 (2015)
 Germany1 1 (2023) 1 (1985) 2 (2007, 2011) 1 (1997)
 France 1 (2001) 1 (2023) 1 (2019)
 Soviet Union 1 (1987)
 Saudi Arabia 1 (1989)
  Switzerland 1 (2009)
 England 1 (2017)
 Spain 4 (1991, 2003, 2007, 2017) 2 (1997, 2009)
 Mali 1 (2015) 1 (2023) 1 (2017)
 Scotland 1 (1989)
 Australia 1 (1999)
 Uruguay 1 (2011)
 Argentina 3 (1991, 1995, 2003) 3 (2001, 2013, 2023)
 Netherlands 1 (2005) 1 (2019)
 Ivory Coast 1 (1987)
 Portugal 1 (1989)
 Chile 1 (1993)
 Burkina Faso 1 (2001)
 Sweden 1 (2013)
 Belgium 1 (2015)
 Colombia 2 (2003, 2009)
 Guinea 1 (1985)
 Italy 1 (1987)
 Bahrain 1 (1989)
 Qatar 1 (1991)
 Poland 1 (1993)
 Oman 1 (1995)
 United States 1 (1999)
 Turkey 1 (2005)
1includes results representing West Germany

Performances by continental zones

Map of the best results for each country
Map of the best results for each country

Africa is the most successful continental zone with seven tournament wins (five for Nigeria, two for Ghana) and six times as runner-up. Notably the 1993 final was contested by two African teams, when the final has been contested by two teams from the same confederation. in 2015, a pair of African teams repeated the 1993 final with Mali replacing Ghana (disqualified for age violation), when Nigeria and Mali made it to the last two standing and Nigeria got their sixth win.

South America has three tournament wins and has been runner-up three times: Argentina has finished in third place on three occasions; Chile has done so on one occasion; and Colombia has finished in fourth place twice, but neither of the latter two have ever appeared in the final.

Europe has five tournaments wins (one each for France, USSR, Switzerland, England and Germany) and has been runner-up seven times. Spain has been runner up on four occasions. Additionally Portugal and Netherlands have won third-place medals in 1989 and 2005 respectively.

The CONCACAF zone has two tournament wins (for Mexico in 2005 and 2011). This confederation has reached the final four times (with Mexico).

Asia has one tournament win (for Saudi Arabia in 1989), the only time that a team from this confederation has reached the final and the only time an Asian team won a FIFA tournament in the male category. (Australia was runner-up in 1999 but at that time was in the Oceania Football Confederation).

Oceania has no tournament wins and on one occasion was runner up (for Australia in 1999). Australia has since moved to the Asian confederation.

This tournament is peculiar in that the majority of titles have gone to teams from outside the strongest regional confederations (CONMEBOL and UEFA). Of the fifteen editions held so far, nine (60 percent of the total) have been won by teams from North and Central America, Africa and Asia.

Confederation (continent) Performances
Winners Runners-up Third Fourth
CAF (Africa) 7 times: Nigeria (5), Ghana (2) 6 times: Nigeria (3), Ghana (2), Mali (1) 4 times: Ghana (1), Ivory Coast (1), Burkina Faso (1), Mali (1) 3 times: Ghana (1), Guinea (1), Mali (1)
UEFA (Europe) 5 times: France (1), Soviet Union (1), Switzerland (1), England (1), Germany (1) 7 times: Spain (4), Germany (1), Scotland (1), France (1) 9 times: Germany (2), Spain (2), Belgium (1), France (1), Netherlands (1), Portugal (1), Sweden (1) 5 times: Germany (1), Italy (1), Netherlands (1), Poland (1), Turkey (1)
CONMEBOL (South America) 4 times: Brazil (4) 3 times: Brazil (2), Uruguay (1) 6 times: Argentina (3), Brazil (2), Chile (1) 6 times: Brazil (1), Argentina (3), Colombia (2)
CONCACAF (North, Central America and Caribbean) 2 times: Mexico (2) 2 times: Mexico (2) None 2 times: Mexico (1), United States (1)
AFC (Asia) 1 time: Saudi Arabia (1) None None 3 times: Bahrain (1), Qatar (1), Oman (1)
OFC (Oceania) None 1 time: Australia (1) None None

Awards

The following awards are now presented:

  • The Golden Ball is awarded to the most valuable player of the tournament;
  • The Golden Boot is awarded to the top goalscorer of the tournament;
  • The Golden Glove is awarded to the most valuable goalkeeper of the tournament;
  • The FIFA Fair Play Trophy is presented to the team with the best disciplinary record in the tournament.
Tournament Golden Ball Golden Boot Goals Golden Glove FIFA Fair Play Trophy
China 1985 China Brazil William West Germany Marcel Witeczek 8 Not Awarded  West Germany
Canada 1987 Canada Nigeria Philip Osundu Ivory Coast Moussa Traoré 5  Soviet Union
Scotland 1989 Scotland Scotland James Will Guinea Fode Camara 3  Bahrain
Italy 1991 Italy Ghana Nii Lamptey Brazil Adriano 4  Argentina
Japan 1993 Japan Ghana Daniel Addo Nigeria Wilson Oruma 6  Nigeria
Ecuador 1995 Ecuador Oman Mohammed Al-Kathiri Australia Daniel Allsopp 5  Brazil
Egypt 1997 Egypt Spain Sergio Santamaría Spain David 7  Argentina
New Zealand 1999 New Zealand United States Landon Donovan Ghana Ishmael Addo 7  Mexico
Trinidad and Tobago 2001 Trinidad and Tobago France Florent Sinama Pongolle France Florent Sinama Pongolle 9  Nigeria
Finland 2003 Finland Spain Cesc Fàbregas Spain Cesc Fàbregas 5  Costa Rica
Peru 2005 Peru Brazil Anderson Mexico Carlos Vela 5  North Korea
South Korea 2007 South Korea Germany Toni Kroos Nigeria Macauley Chrisantus 7  Costa Rica
Nigeria 2009 Nigeria Nigeria Sani Emmanuel Spain Borja 5 Switzerland Benjamin Siegrist  Nigeria
Mexico 2011 Mexico Mexico Julio Gómez Ivory Coast Souleymane Coulibaly 9 Uruguay Jonathan Cubero  Japan
United Arab Emirates 2013 United Arab Emirates Nigeria Kelechi Iheanacho Sweden Valmir Berisha 7 Nigeria Dele Alampasu  Nigeria
Chile 2015 Chile Nigeria Kelechi Nwakali Nigeria Victor Osimhen 10 Mali Samuel Diarra  Ecuador
India 2017 India England Phil Foden England Rhian Brewster 8 Brazil Gabriel Brazão  Brazil
Brazil 2019 Brazil Brazil Gabriel Veron Netherlands Sontje Hansen 6 Brazil Matheus Donelli  Ecuador
Indonesia 2023 Indonesia Germany Paris Brunner Argentina Agustín Ruberto 8 France Paul Argney  England

Records and statistics

See also

References

  1. "Youth Cup revived". eresources.nlb.gov.sg. Archived from the original on 2018-09-25. Retrieved 2019-01-02.
  2. "India could shatter Under 17 World Cup attendance record". Archived from the original on 2020-06-05. Retrieved 2017-10-20.
  3. "FIFA U-17 WC in India becomes most attended in event's history". Archived from the original on 2020-12-24. Retrieved 2017-10-28.
  4. "FIFA U17 World Champions" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-01-23. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
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