An Update on the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup in India
The FIFA U-17 World Cup of 2017 will be the 17th edition of this championship, contested by the national teams which fall into this age-group of the FIFA member associations. The tournament this year is set to be hosted by India, and will take place from the 6th to the 28th of October 2017. This is the first time that India will be playing host to the games. The final game is set to be held at the Kolkata Salt Lake Stadium on the 28th of October this year.
Should the competitions end up being successful, the All India Football Federation has hinted that they will make a bid for the FIFA U-20 World Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup as well.
The 2015 Champions, Nigeria, are a No-Show
The Nigerian team, who conquered in 2015, will be unable to defend the title, as they were not able to reach the final stages of the CAF qualifying tournament. As a result, this has made them the first current title holders to fail to qualify for the tournament following, since Switzerland held this dubious honour in 2009.
The Future Stars of Football to be Born
Lucimar Ferreira da Silva, popularly known as Lúcio, who won the 2002 FIFA World Cup with the Brazilian team, is eagerly anticipating the Indian World Cup, since, as he has stated, he expects to see the future stars of the world of football first-hand at the matches. Punters who enjoy online betting in NZ and the rest of the world are sure to be taking notes as well.
Lúcio went on to say that India hosting the FIFA U-17 World Cup was an excellent opportunity for the country to start making its mark on the football scene globally. Thanks to the fact that some for the best young talent in the world is set to land in India very soon, it is sure to foster the development of the sport there, he stated, and India would be able to get a 1st-hand view of some of the biggest names in the future of footballing at these matches.
Details on the Upcoming Tournament
The games will begin in New Delhi and Navi Mumbai, with the 1st double-headers on the 6th of October. The quarter-finals will take place in Guwahati, Kolkata, Goa, and Kochi, and Guwahati and Navi Mumbai will see the semi-finals unfold.
India Celebrates its First FIFA Tournament with Fitting Slogan
Javier Ceppi, LOC Tournament Director, was heard to add, while he introduced the game’s official slogan, that the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup was not just a first for India in terms of hosting, but also marked the debut of an Indian team taking part in a FIFA competition. This directly affected the slogan for the event, “Football Takes Over”, a reference to the building excitement this country was experiencing as the event draws nearer.
The draw for the FIFA U-17 World Cup event to be held in India in 2017 is set to take place on the 7th of July in Mumbai, and fans are already struggling to contain their enthusiasm.
