2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup

2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup
Official logo
Tournament details
Host countryIndia
Dates6–28 October
Teams24 (from 6 confederations)
Venue(s)6 (in 6 host cities)
Final positions
Champions England (1st title)
Runners-up Spain
Third place Brazil
Fourth place Mali
Tournament statistics
Matches played52
Goals scored183 (3.52 per match)
Attendance1,347,133 (25,906 per match)
Top scorer(s)England Rhian Brewster (8 goals)
Best player(s)England Phil Foden
Best goalkeeperBrazil Gabriel Brazão
Fair play award Brazil
← 2015
2019 →

The 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup was the 17th FIFA U-17 World Cup, a biennial international football tournament contested by men's under-17 national teams. Organised by FIFA, the tournament took place in India from 6 to 28 October 2017, after the country was awarded the hosting rights on 5 December 2013. The tournament marked the first time India hosted a FIFA tournament and the second Asian country to host U-17 World Cup after United Arab Emirates in 2013. The attendance for this World Cup was a record 1,347,133, surpassing China's record in 1985 with 1,230,976.

The matches were played in six stadiums in six host cities around the country, with the final taking place at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata. Twenty-three teams, besides the host India, managed to qualify for the tournament via participating in their various continental under-17 tournaments. In the first round of the tournament finals, the teams competed in round-robin groups of four for points, where the top two teams in each group along with the top four third placed teams would advance to the next round. These 16 teams will advance to the knockout stage, where three rounds of play decided which teams would participate in the final.

The reigning champions, Nigeria, failed to qualify, becoming the first title holders fail to qualify for the subsequent edition since Switzerland in 2009.

England won the U-17 World Cup for the first time after coming back from a two-goal deficit and beating Spain 5–2 in the final.[1] This made England the second nation, after Brazil in 2003, to win both of FIFA's male age-capped (U-20 and U-17) World Cups in the same calendar year.[2][3] England has also become the third country, after Brazil and North Korea, to win both U-17 and U-20 World Cup in their respective gender tournaments on the same year, as North Korea had also won both U-17 and U-20 Women's World Cup the previous year. The official match ball used in the tournament was Adidas Krasava.

Host selection[edit]

The bids for the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup had to be submitted by 15 November 2013.[4] On 28 May 2013 it was announced by FIFA that Azerbaijan, India, Republic of Ireland, and Uzbekistan would bid for the hosting rights.[5]

Finally, on 5 December 2013, FIFA announced that India had won the 2017 FIFA World Cup hosting rights.[6]

Qualified teams[edit]

As host, India made their first ever appearance at the FIFA U-17 World Cup and their first appearance in the World Cup at any age level.[7] As well as India, New Caledonia and Niger also made their first appearance in the FIFA U-17 World Cup.[8]

The previous U-17 World Cup title holders, Nigeria, failed to qualify for this edition. In failing to qualify, Nigeria became the first nation since Switzerland in 2009 to fail to qualify for the next edition of the FIFA U-17 World Cup after winning the previous edition.[9]

A total of 24 teams qualified for the final tournament. In addition to India, the other 23 teams qualified from six separate continental competitions. Starting from 2017, the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) will receive an additional spot (in total two spots), while UEFA will have five instead of six spots.[10]

Confederation Qualifying Tournament Qualifier(s)
AFC (Asia) Host Nation  India1
2016 AFC U-16 Championship  Iraq
 Iran
 Japan
 North Korea
CAF (Africa) 2017 Africa U-17 Cup of Nations  Ghana
 Guinea
 Mali
 Niger1
CONCACAF
(Central, North America and Caribbean) 		2017 CONCACAF U-17 Championship  Costa Rica
 Honduras
 Mexico
 United States
CONMEBOL (South America) 2017 South American Under-17 Championship  Brazil
 Chile
 Colombia
 Paraguay
OFC (Oceania) 2017 OFC U-17 Championship  New Caledonia1
 New Zealand
UEFA (Europe) 2017 UEFA European Under-17 Championship  England
 France
 Germany
 Spain
 Turkey
1.^ Teams that will make their debut.

Organization[edit]

Preparation[edit]

Vijay Goel and Praful Patel at MXIM Launch

The six venues selected for the tournament were given major renovations prior to the FIFA U-17 World Cup.[11] All the stadiums were given new bucket seats, new dressing rooms, new evacuation exits for fans, and new training grounds.[11] Javier Ceppi, the Local Organising Committee director, stated that despite work starting slowly, things eventually became quicker. "It has been a long process in the last two and half years. In India, it takes time to start things but once things start it kind of picks its own pace and in terms of implementation I always say that India is a very good country when it comes to implementation."[12]

Emblem[edit]

The official emblem for the tournament was launched on 27 September 2016 at a hotel in Goa during the 2016 AFC U-16 Championship.[13] According to the press release from FIFA the emblem was designed "as a celebration of the country's richness and diversity of cultures, with the main elements of the Indian Ocean, the banyan tree, the kite and the starburst, which is an interpretation of the Ashoka Chakra, an integral part of the national identity."[13]

Tickets[edit]

Sales of tickets for the FIFA U-17 World Cup began on 16 May 2017 during a function in New Delhi. Carles Puyol was present during the ticket sales launch as special guest.[14] General ticket sales officially began on 17 May 2017 at 19:11. The time was selected as a tribute to when Mohun Bagan defeated East Yorkshire Regiment in the IFA Shield in 1911, marking the first time an Indian football club defeated a British side in British India.[14] Tickets for the tournament were sold in four phases: Phase one only sold tickets for categories 1 to 3 at each venue with a 60% discount while phase two allowed people to buy tickets for all categories, but only if you are a Visa card holder, at a 50% discount. Phase three allowed anyone to buy tickets with a 25% discount while phase four had tickets at full price.[15] The attendance for matches breached the million mark in the final match of the Round of 16, which made India only the third nation after China and Mexico to register an attendance of over a million for the event.[16] On 28 October 2017, in the 3rd place match-up between Brazil and Mali, India finally beat the existing record of 1,230,976 set in the 1985 FIFA U-16 World Championship edition in China[17] The final attendance figures were 1,347,133.

Mascot[edit]

Vijay Goel and Praful Patel with the Mascot, Kheleo

The mascot is "Kheleo", a Himalayan Clouded Leopard. He wears a jersey with the colours of white, yellow, green and orange. The Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Vijay Goel, stated: "Kheleo is young, vibrant, enthustiatic and a perfect representation of our country. He will help us to involve kids in football in a fun way".

Theme song[edit]

The theme song for the 2017 U17 World Cup is called 'Kar Ke Dikhla De Goal' (कर के दिखला दे गोआल) which roughly translates to 'Show that you can score a goal', composed by Pritam and written by Amitabh Bhattacharya[18] features Indian football legend Bhaichung Bhutia along with Kerala Blasters co-owner Sachin Tendulkar and singer Babul Supriyo, who had designed the Mohun Bagan kit half a decade back.[19][20]

Venues[edit]

After being awarded the hosting rights for the FIFA U-17 World Cup, eight locations were shortlisted: Bangalore, Guwahati, Kochi, Kolkata, Margao, Navi Mumbai, New Delhi and Pune.[21] On 29 May 2015, Kochi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Guwahati were provisionally selected as host locations and was informed two more would be provisionally approved from the list of Bengaluru, Chennai, Goa, New Delhi and Pune.[22] On 27 October 2016, FIFA officially announced Guwahati, Kochi, Kolkata, Margao, Navi Mumbai and New Delhi as the official host cities for the FIFA U-17 World Cup.[23]

Kolkata Kochi New Delhi
Salt Lake Stadium
(Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan) 		Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium
(Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium) 		Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium
Capacity: 66,600[24] Capacity: 41,700[24] Capacity: 58,000[24]
2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup (India)
Navi Mumbai Guwahati Margao
DY Patil Stadium
(Dr. DY Patil Stadium) 		Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium Fatorda Stadium
(Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium)
Capacity: 41,000[24] Capacity: 23,800[24] Capacity: 16,200[24]


Draw[edit]

The draw for the FIFA U-17 World Cup was held on 7 July 2017 at the Hotel Sahara Star in Mumbai, India.[25] The draw was attended by former U-17 World Cup champions Nwankwo Kanu (Nigeria) and former U-20 World Cup champions Esteban Cambiasso (Argentina), as well as India senior international Sunil Chhetri and badminton player P. V. Sindhu.[25]

The 24 teams were drawn into six groups of four teams, with hosts India being allocated to position A1.[26] The rest of the teams were allocated into their respective pots based on a ranking which was built according to past performances during the last five FIFA U-17 World Cups.[26] Importance was given to the most recent U-17 World Cups.[26]

Pot 1 Pot 2 Pot 3 Pot 4

Referees[edit]

FIFA's Referees' Committee selected 21 referees, representing all six confederations, to officiate at the U-17 World Cup: Seven from UEFA, four from CONMEBOL, three each from the AFC, CAF, and CONCACAF, and one from the OFC.[27] Interestingly, no referee from host country India were selected to officiate.[27]

Confederation Referee Assistant referees Support referee
AFC Singapore Muhammad Taqi Singapore Lee Tzu Liang
Singapore Koh Min Kiat 		North Korea Ri Hyang-ok
Japan Ryuji Sato Japan Toru Sagara
Japan Hiroshi Yamauchi
Bahrain Nawaf Shukralla Bahrain Yaser Tulefat
Bahrain Ebrahim Saleh
CAF Algeria Mehdi Abid Charef Algeria Albdelhak Etchiali
Tunisia Anouar Hmila 		Zambia Gladys Lengwe
Madagascar Hamada Nampiandraza Mozambique Arsenio Marengula
Niger Yahaya Mahamadou
Ethiopia Bamlak Tessema Weyesa Democratic Republic of the Congo Olivier Safari
Uganda Mark Ssonko
CONCACAF United States Jair Marrufo United States Frank Anderson
United States Corey Rockwell 		Canada Carol Chenard
Costa Rica Ricardo Montero Costa Rica Octavio Jara
Costa Rica Juan Carlos Mora
Panama John Pitti Panama Gabriel Victoria
Honduras Christian Ramírez
CONMEBOL Venezuela José Argote Venezuela Luis Murillo
Venezuela Carlos López 		Uruguay Claudia Umpierrez
Paraguay Enrique Cáceres Paraguay Eduardo Cardozo
Paraguay Juan Zorrilla
Brazil Sandro Ricci Brazil Emerson de Carvalho
Brazil Marcelo Van Gasse
Bolivia Gery Vargas Bolivia Juan Pablo Montaño
Bolivia Jose Alberto Antelo
OFC French Polynesia Abdelkader Zitouni Tonga Folio Moeaki
Solomon Islands Bernard Mutukera 		New Zealand Anna-Marie Keighley
UEFA Romania Ovidiu Hațegan Romania Octavian Șovre
Romania Sebastian Gheorghe 		Ukraine Kateryna Monzul
Switzerland Esther Staubli
Scotland Bobby Madden Scotland David McGeachie
Scotland Alastair Mather
Greece Anastasios Sidiropoulos Greece Polychronis Kostaras
Greece Lazaros Dimitriadis
Portugal Artur Soares Dias Portugal Rui Tavares
Portugal Paulo Soares
England Anthony Taylor England Gary Beswick
England Adam Nunn
France Clément Turpin France Nicolas Danos
France Cyril Gringore
Slovenia Slavko Vinčić Slovenia Tomaz Klancnik
Slovenia Andraz Kovacic

Squads[edit]

Further information: 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup squads

Each team's squad for the FIFA U-17 World Cup consisted of 21 players.[28] Each participating national association had to confirm their final 21-player squad by 21 September 2017.[28] A total of 504 players participated in the tournament. The squads were announced by FIFA on 26 September 2017.[29][30]

Group stage[edit]

The top two teams of each group and the four best third-placed teams advanced to the round of 16.

All times are local, IST (UTC+5:30).[31]

Tiebreakers[edit]

The rankings of teams in each group are determined as follows (regulations Article 17.7):[32]

  1. points obtained in all group matches;
  2. goal difference in all group matches;
  3. number of goals scored in all group matches;

If two or more teams are equal on the basis of the above three criteria, their rankings are determined as follows:

  1. points obtained in the group matches between the teams concerned;
  2. goal difference in the group matches between the teams concerned;
  3. number of goals scored in the group matches between the teams concerned;
  4. fair play points:
    • first yellow card: minus 1 point;
    • indirect red card (second yellow card): minus 3 points;
    • direct red card: minus 4 points;
    • yellow card and direct red card: minus 5 points;
  5. drawing of lots by the FIFA Organising Committee.

Group A[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Ghana 3 2 0 1 5 1 +4 6 Knockout stage
2  Colombia 3 2 0 1 5 3 +2 6[a]
3  United States 3 2 0 1 5 3 +2 6[a]
4  India (H) 3 0 0 3 1 9 −8 0
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Head-to-head points: Colombia 3, United States 0.
Colombia 0–1 Ghana
Report
Attendance: 24,300[33]
India 0–3 United States
Report
Attendance: 46,351[34]
Referee: Gery Vargas (Bolivia)
Ghana 0–1 United States
Report
Attendance: 17,500[35]
India 1–2 Colombia
 Report
Attendance: 48,184[36]
Ghana 4–0 India
 Report
Attendance: 52,614[37]
United States 1–3 Colombia
 Report
Attendance: 22,263[38]

Group B[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Paraguay 3 3 0 0 10 5 +5 9 Knockout stage
2  Mali 3 2 0 1 8 4 +4 6
3  New Zealand 3 0 1 2 4 8 −4 1
4  Turkey 3 0 1 2 2 7 −5 1
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
New Zealand 1–1 Turkey
 Report
Attendance: 9,727[39]
Referee: John Pitti (Panama)
Paraguay 3–2 Mali
 Report
Attendance: 25,342[40]
Turkey 0–3 Mali
Report
Attendance: 18,323[41]
Paraguay 4–2 New Zealand
 Report
Attendance: 20,877[42]
Turkey 1–3 Paraguay
 Report
Attendance: 8,895[43]
Referee: Ryuji Sato (Japan)
Mali 3–1 New Zealand
 Report
Attendance: 23,112[44]

Group C[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Iran 3 3 0 0 10 1 +9 9 Knockout stage
2  Germany 3 2 0 1 5 6 −1 6
3  Guinea 3 0 1 2 4 8 −4 1
4  Costa Rica 3 0 1 2 3 7 −4 1
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Germany 2–1 Costa Rica
 Report
Attendance: 12,329[45]
Iran 3–1 Guinea
 Report
Attendance: 12,329[46]
Costa Rica 2–2 Guinea
 Report
Attendance: 6,717[47]
Iran 4–0 Germany
 Report
Attendance: 8,267[48]
Costa Rica 0–3 Iran
Report
Attendance: 8,549[49]
Guinea 1–3 Germany
 Report
Attendance: 9,250[50]
Referee: John Pitti (Panama)

Group D[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Brazil 3 3 0 0 6 1 +5 9 Knockout stage
2  Spain 3 2 0 1 7 2 +5 6
3  Niger 3 1 0 2 1 6 −5 3
4  North Korea 3 0 0 3 0 5 −5 0
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Brazil 2–1 Spain
 Report
Attendance: 21,362[51]
North Korea 0–1 Niger
Report
Attendance: 2,754[52]
Spain 4–0 Niger
 Report
Attendance: 7,926[53]
North Korea 0–2 Brazil
Report
Attendance: 15,314[54]
Spain 2–0 North Korea
 Report
Attendance: 14,544[55]
Niger 0–2 Brazil
Report
Attendance: 15,830[56]

Group E[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  France 3 3 0 0 14 3 +11 9 Knockout stage
2  Japan 3 1 1 1 8 4 +4 4
3  Honduras 3 1 0 2 7 11 −4 3
4  New Caledonia 3 0 1 2 2 13 −11 1
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
New Caledonia 1–7 France
 Report
Attendance: 12,640[57]
Honduras 1–6 Japan
 Report
Attendance: 13,285[58]
France 2–1 Japan
 Report
Attendance: 9,575[59]
Referee: Gery Vargas (Bolivia)
Honduras 5–0 New Caledonia
 Report
Attendance: 11,002[60]
France 5–1 Honduras
 Report
Attendance: 12,831[61]
Japan 1–1 New Caledonia
 Report
Attendance: 44,665[62]

Group F[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  England 3 3 0 0 11 2 +9 9 Knockout stage
2  Iraq 3 1 1 1 4 5 −1 4
3  Mexico 3 0 2 1 3 4 −1 2
4  Chile 3 0 1 2 0 7 −7 1
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Chile 0–4 England
Report
Attendance: 46,154[63]
Referee: Ryuji Sato (Japan)
Iraq 1–1 Mexico
 Report
Attendance: 55,800[64]
England 3–2 Mexico
 Report
Attendance: 48,620[65]
Iraq 3–0 Chile
 Report
Attendance: 50,286[66]
England 4–0 Iraq
 Report
Attendance: 56,372[67]
Mexico 0–0 Chile
Report
Attendance: 15,794[68]

Ranking of third-placed teams[edit]

The four best teams among those ranked third are determined as follows (regulations Article 17.7):[32]

  1. points obtained in all group matches;
  2. goal difference in all group matches;
  3. number of goals scored in all group matches;
  4. fair play points;
  5. drawing of lots by the FIFA Organising Committee.

Pos Grp Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 A  United States 3 2 0 1 5 3 +2 6 Knockout stage
2 E  Honduras 3 1 0 2 7 11 −4 3
3 D  Niger 3 1 0 2 1 6 −5 3
4 F  Mexico 3 0 2 1 3 4 −1 2
5 B  New Zealand 3 0 1 2 4 8 −4 1[a]
6 C  Guinea 3 0 1 2 4 8 −4 1[a]
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Fair play points; 5) Drawing of lots.
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Fair play points: New Zealand −6, Guinea −9.

Knockout stage[edit]

In the knockout stages, if a match is level at the end of normal playing time, the match is determined by a penalty shoot-out (no extra time is played).[32]

In the round of 16, the four third-placed teams were matched with the winners of groups A, B, C, and D. The specific match-ups involving the third-placed teams depend on which four third-placed teams qualified for the round of 16:[32]

Third-placed teams
qualify from groups 		1A
vs 		1B
vs 		1C
vs 		1D
vs
A B C D 3C 3D 3A 3B
A B C E 3C 3A 3B 3E
A B C F 3C 3A 3B 3F
A B D E 3D 3A 3B 3E
A B D F 3D 3A 3B 3F
A B E F 3E 3A 3B 3F
A C D E 3C 3D 3A 3E
A C D F 3C 3D 3A 3F
A C E F 3C 3A 3F 3E
A D E F 3D 3A 3F 3E
B C D E 3C 3D 3B 3E
B C D F 3C 3D 3B 3F
B C E F 3E 3C 3B 3F
B D E F 3E 3D 3B 3F
C D E F 3C 3D 3F 3E

Bracket[edit]

 
Round of 16Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
 
              
 
16 October – New Delhi
 
 
 Colombia0
 
22 October – Kolkata
 
 Germany4
 
 Germany1
 
18 October – Kochi
 
 Brazil2
 
 Brazil3
 
25 October – Kolkata
 
 Honduras0
 
 Brazil1
 
16 October – New Delhi
 
 England3
 
 Paraguay0
 
21 October – Margao
 
 United States5
 
 United States1
 
17 October – Kolkata
 
 England4
 
 England (p)0 (5)
 
28 October – Kolkata
 
 Japan0 (3)
 
 England5
 
17 October – Margao
 
 Spain2
 
 Mali5
 
21 October – Guwahati
 
 Iraq1
 
 Mali2
 
18 October – Navi Mumbai
 
 Ghana1
 
 Ghana2
 
25 October – Navi Mumbai
 
 Niger0
 
 Mali1
 
17 October – Guwahati
 
 Spain3 Third place play-off
 
 France1
 
22 October – Kochi28 October – Kolkata
 
 Spain2
 
 Spain3 Brazil2
 
17 October – Margao
 
 Iran1  Mali0
 
 Iran2
 
 
 Mexico1
 

Round of 16[edit]

Colombia 0–4 Germany
Report
Attendance: 19,477[69]
Paraguay 0–5 United States
Report
Attendance: 34,895[70]
Iran 2–1 Mexico
 Report
Attendance: 5,529[71]
France 1–2 Spain
 Report
Attendance: 13,316[72]
England 0–0 Japan
Report
Penalties
 5–3
Attendance: 53,302[73]
Mali 5–1 Iraq
 Report
Attendance: 9,240[74]
Ghana 2–0 Niger
 Report
Attendance: 21,286[75]
Brazil 3–0 Honduras
 Report
Attendance: 20,668[76]

Quarter-finals[edit]

Mali 2–1 Ghana
  • Dramé 15'
  • D. Traoré 61'
 Report
Attendance: 3,706[77]
United States 1–4 England
 Report
Attendance: 16,148[78]
Spain 3–1 Iran
 Report
Attendance: 28,436[79]
Referee: Gery Vargas (Bolivia)
Germany 1–2 Brazil
 Report
Attendance: 66,613[80]

Semi-finals[edit]

Brazil 1–3 England
 Report
Attendance: 63,881[82]
Mali 1–3 Spain
 Report
Attendance: 37,847[83]
Referee: Ryuji Sato (Japan)

Third place play-off[edit]

Brazil 2–0 Mali
 Report
Attendance: 56,422[84]

Final[edit]

England 5–2 Spain
 Report
Attendance: 66,684[85]

Awards[edit]

The following awards were given at the conclusion of the tournament.[86] They were all sponsored by Adidas, except for the FIFA Fair Play Award.

Golden Ball Silver Ball Bronze Ball
England Phil Foden Spain Sergio Gomez England Rhian Brewster
Golden Boot Silver Boot Bronze Boot
England Rhian Brewster
(8 goals, 1 assist,
540 minutes played) 		Mali Lassana N'Diaye
(6 goals, 0 assists,
603 minutes played) 		Spain Abel Ruiz
(6 goals, 0 assists,
618 minutes played)
Golden Glove
Brazil Gabriel Brazão
FIFA Fair Play Award
 Brazil

Final ranking[edit]

As per statistical convention in football, matches decided in extra time are counted as wins and losses, while matches decided by penalty shoot-outs are counted as draws.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Final result
1  England 7 6 1 0 23 6 +17 19 Champions
2  Spain 7 5 0 2 17 10 +7 15 Runners-up
3  Brazil 7 6 0 1 14 5 +9 18 Third place
4  Mali 7 4 0 3 16 11 +5 12 Fourth place
5  Iran 5 4 0 1 13 5 +8 12 Eliminated in
Quarter-finals
6  Ghana 5 3 0 2 8 3 +5 9
7