2024-05-05 20:22:21
This afternoon it was officially announced by FIFA that the Under 17 World Cup will have structural changes. It will no longer be every two years but annually, it will also go from 24 to 48 teams and Qatar will host the tournament until 2029.
On the women’s side, it will also be played annually and with 24 teams. The headquarters until 2029 will be in Morocco.
This is the statement from FIFA:
The FIFA Council has confirmed that the FIFA U-17 World Cup™ will be expanded to 48 teams and will be held annually instead of every two years, as part of the governing body’s strong commitment to youth football.
It was also confirmed that the next five editions of the competition, starting in 2025, will take place in Qatar.
Meanwhile, the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup™, which has been expanded to 24 teams and will be held annually from 2025, will be hosted in Morocco until 2029.
These decisions have been made following a global call for expressions of interest to host both competitions, focused on taking advantage of the existing football infrastructure for the efficiency and sustainability of the tournaments.