2025 U17 World Cup, Qatar (first annual 48-team edition)

[Lorric]

Yes, that would work if that's how the new U17 EURO format is.

OFC needs at least 4 places because it has the need of the most development among the confederations.

That is a waste giving that privilege to these tiny countries, many of which don't even have football as their national sport, when Asia and Africa would bring countries with populations of millions or even tens of millions.

[MercedesBenz240]

The new format of the EURO U17 has 8 finalists (down from 16) so it makes sense that in addition to being able to compete for the European title all of the finalists qualify for that year's U17WC.

By that logic I could even see it being 7 to stop the host auto qualifying. It would be stupid for UEFA to allow such a thing to happen, but if they allowed Oceania to take two spots from us, they'd probably allow that too.

UEFA is the confederation with the most members (55), one more than CAF. Even if we go by "equal" representation at the U17 World Cup, UEFA is unlikely to have fewer spots than CAF or any other confederations. I think UEFA should have somewhere between 10-14 spots.

Starting next season (2024/25), the U17 qualifying will use a new system, and the Euro U17 final tournament hosts will also play in the final qualifying round, so they can use the final round of qualifying to decide which teams qualify for the U17 World Cup. For example, let's say UEFA is given 14 spots, then the top two of the seven final qualifying round groups will qualify for the U17 World Cup. This way, there is no automatic World Cup spot for the Euro U17 final tournament hosts.

But the host will still play in the final tournament regardless of the qualifying round results, right?

[Jackson Harrison]

By that logic I could even see it being 7 to stop the host auto qualifying. It would be stupid for UEFA to allow such a thing to happen, but if they allowed Oceania to take two spots from us, they'd probably allow that too.

UEFA is the confederation with the most members (55), one more than CAF. Even if we go by "equal" representation at the U17 World Cup, UEFA is unlikely to have fewer spots than CAF or any other confederations. I think UEFA should have somewhere between 10-14 spots.

Starting next season (2024/25), the U17 qualifying will use a new system, and the Euro U17 final tournament hosts will also play in the final qualifying round, so they can use the final round of qualifying to decide which teams qualify for the U17 World Cup. For example, let's say UEFA is given 14 spots, then the top two of the seven final qualifying round groups will qualify for the U17 World Cup. This way, there is no automatic World Cup spot for the Euro U17 final tournament hosts.

But the host will still play in the final tournament regardless of the qualifying round results, right?

Correct.

[Jackson Harrison]

My proposed slot allocation:
Host: 1
AFC: 9
CAF: 9
Concacaf: 7
COMMEBOL: 6
OFC: 2
UEFA: 14

[Lorric]

Is the Arab World just going to get everything now? Next five to be hosted by Qatar:

[amenina]

FIFA Council takes key decisions ahead of the 74th FIFA Congress

https://www.fifa.com/about-fifa/organis ... a-congress

FIFA’s member associations to be asked to take a united stand against racism in football

Record investment in football development of USD 2.25 billion expected during 2023-2026 cycle

Five-year hosts of annual U-17 competitions appointed


The FIFA Council has unanimously approved the Annual Report 2023, which confirms the organisation’s exceptionally healthy and sustainable situation, with record investment in football development of USD 2.25 billion earmarked for the entire 2023-2026 cycle as part of the FIFA Forward 3.0 Programme. This represents an almost sevenfold increase in football development investment compared to the development programmes in place prior to 2016.

The Annual Report, which was duly approved by the FIFA Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee and the FIFA Finance Committee, will be distributed to all 211 member associations and submitted to the 74th FIFA Congress in Bangkok on Friday, 17 May 2024 for final approval.

“Thanks to its solid financial governance, FIFA is well on track to exceed its budgetary target of USD 11 billion for the 2023-2026 cycle,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino, following the meeting which was held virtually from Zurich, Switzerland. “This means that we will be able to deliver more tailored services for our 211 member associations to assist them in realising their development and education projects and taking football to the next level.”

“FIFA’s sound financial position will be key to successfully implementing our Strategic Objectives for 2023-2027, in cooperation with our 211 member associations and the six confederations.”

The 74th FIFA Congress
The FIFA Council supported the FIFA President’s call to impose stricter measures and increase the commitment of anyone involved in global football to fight racism by including an item on the Congress agenda that will tackle this unacceptable scourge on the game.

“The 74th FIFA Congress will mark a milestone in FIFA’s ongoing efforts to fight racism with new and stricter measures to be applied worldwide in cooperation with all our member associations and the confederations,” added President Infantino.

The voting procedure for the designation of the host(s) of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027™ by the upcoming Congress was also confirmed and foresees that the result of each ballot and the related votes will be made public. A bid from Brazil, a joint bid from Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands, and a joint bid from Mexico and the United States are currently in the bidding process, which is set to conclude in Bangkok in May, where the host(s) of the next edition will be decided by FIFA’s member associations.

The full agenda for the 74th FIFA Congress will be shared with FIFA’s member associations in line with the process outlined in the FIFA Statutes.

FIFA competitions
As part of the governing body’s steadfast commitment to youth football and following the decision to expand the FIFA U-17 World Cup™ to 48 teams and hold it annually rather than biennially, it was confirmed that the next five editions of the competition, starting in 2025, will take place in Qatar. Likewise, the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup™, which has been expanded to 24 teams and will be played annually as of 2025, will be hosted by Morocco until 2029. This followed a global call for expressions of interest in hosting both competitions, with a focus on leveraging the use of existing footballing infrastructure in the interest of tournament efficiencies and sustainability.

Other decisions
The Council confirmed that the mandate of the Normalisation Committee for the Pakistan Football Federation will be extended until 15 December 2024 to allow for the completion of the existing mandate and electoral process.

[amenina]

https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/tourna ... ms-morocco

FIFA U-17 World Cup expands to 48 teams

Qatar will host the next five editions from 2025, with Morocco the venue for FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in the same period.

The FIFA Council has confirmed that the FIFA U-17 World Cup™ will be expanded to 48 teams and be held annually rather than biennially, as part of the governing body’s steadfast 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 played annually as of 2025, will be hosted by Morocco until 2029.

These decisions followed a global call for expressions of interest in hosting both competitions, with a focus on leveraging the use of existing footballing infrastructure in the interest of tournament efficiencies and sustainability.

[MercedesBenz240]

Is the Arab World just going to get everything now? Next five to be hosted by Qatar:

When it rains it pours

[Tazmania]

Remember the competition is usually held between October and December so Qatar is a suitable choice from that perspective.

[amenina]

Qatar appointed as host of FIFA U-17 World Cup™ annually from 2025 to 2029

https://www.fifa.com/about-fifa/organis ... 25-to-2029

Qatar will stage the expanded 48-team tournament annually over a five-year period

Qatar Football Association one of first FIFA Member Associations given multi-year hosting rights

Existing FIFA World Cup 2022™ facilities and infrastructure will underpin project


Qatar will stage its third global FIFA tournament after the FIFA Council awarded the Gulf state multi-year hosting rights to the FIFA U-17 World Cup.

The first Arab nation to stage a FIFA World Cup™ in 2022, Qatar will now see FIFA's expanded 48-team flagship men's youth tournament arrive on an annual basis between 2025 and 2029. Morocco will host the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup™ yearly over the same five-year period.

While the expansion of participating nations was announced last year by President Gianni Infantino as part of FIFA's strategic objectives, the concept of giving the same country the FIFA U-17 World Cup over five years is an innovation, but is based on a similar rationale.

The increased frequency of the tournament and the rise in the number of teams able to qualify means more young talents get the opportunity to showcase their skills and compete against the very best in the world in their age category more often.

The extended hosting period allows countries to optimise existing football facilities, and make best use of other infrastructure, such as transport and accommodation. The concept allows organisational structures to remain intact from one tournament to the next, enabling those working on the tournament to gain experience, maximising efficiency and reducing costs, while ensuring improved delivery year-on-year.

"Qatar hosted the best-ever FIFA World Cup in 2022, welcoming the world to the first FIFA World Cup held in an Arab country. I am delighted to see a FIFA tournament returning there, making use of the fantastic facilities some of the world's best footballers enjoyed," said the FIFA President.

"Qatar have already shown what wonderful tournament hosts they are, and combined with their peerless hospitality, the infrastructure and stadiums they already have in place will put the planet's top talents in the very best conditions to perform."

A three-time AFC Asian Cup host nation, including the most recent edition in 2023, Qatar will be the stage on which the FIFA U-17 World Cups of the future are shaped. Shifting from a purely stadium-based model, the tournament will now resemble a festival of football, giving a fresh face to a competition that has proven a valuable learning ground for some of the biggest names in the game.

[Lorric]

"Qatar hosted the best-ever FIFA World Cup in 2022, welcoming the world to the first FIFA World Cup held in an Arab country. I am delighted to see a FIFA tournament returning there, making use of the fantastic facilities some of the world's best footballers enjoyed," said the FIFA President.

"Qatar have already shown what wonderful tournament hosts they are, and combined with their peerless hospitality, the infrastructure and stadiums they already have in place will put the planet's top talents in the very best conditions to perform."

A three-time AFC Asian Cup host nation, including the most recent edition in 2023, Qatar will be the stage on which the FIFA U-17 World Cups of the future are shaped. Shifting from a purely stadium-based model, the tournament will now resemble a festival of football, giving a fresh face to a competition that has proven a valuable learning ground for some of the biggest names in the game.

Pass the sick bucket.

[amirbachar]

The new format of the EURO U17 has 8 finalists (down from 16) so it makes sense that in addition to being able to compete for the European title all of the finalists qualify for that year's U17WC.

By that logic I could even see it being 7 to stop the host auto qualifying. It would be stupid for UEFA to allow such a thing to happen, but if they allowed Oceania to take two spots from us, they'd probably allow that too.

UEFA is the confederation with the most members (55), one more than CAF. Even if we go by "equal" representation at the U17 World Cup, UEFA is unlikely to have fewer spots than CAF or any other confederations. I think UEFA should have somewhere between 10-14 spots.

Starting next season (2024/25), the U17 qualifying will use a new system, and the Euro U17 final tournament hosts will also play in the final qualifying round, so they can use the final round of qualifying to decide which teams qualify for the U17 World Cup. For example, let's say UEFA is given 14 spots, then the top two of the seven final qualifying round groups will qualify for the U17 World Cup. This way, there is no automatic World Cup spot for the Euro U17 final tournament hosts.

So the host can't qualify at all?

[amenina]

By that logic I could even see it being 7 to stop the host auto qualifying. It would be stupid for UEFA to allow such a thing to happen, but if they allowed Oceania to take two spots from us, they'd probably allow that too.

UEFA is the confederation with the most members (55), one more than CAF. Even if we go by "equal" representation at the U17 World Cup, UEFA is unlikely to have fewer spots than CAF or any other confederations. I think UEFA should have somewhere between 10-14 spots.

Starting next season (2024/25), the U17 qualifying will use a new system, and the Euro U17 final tournament hosts will also play in the final qualifying round, so they can use the final round of qualifying to decide which teams qualify for the U17 World Cup. For example, let's say UEFA is given 14 spots, then the top two of the seven final qualifying round groups will qualify for the U17 World Cup. This way, there is no automatic World Cup spot for the Euro U17 final tournament hosts.

So the host can't qualify at all?

The U17 Euro hosts will also play in both U17 qualifying rounds, but they will qualify for the U17 Euros regardless of their qualifying results. So if qualifying for U17 World Cup uses any of the qualifying round results, the U17 Euro hosts can still qualify.

[amirbachar]

UEFA is the confederation with the most members (55), one more than CAF. Even if we go by "equal" representation at the U17 World Cup, UEFA is unlikely to have fewer spots than CAF or any other confederations. I think UEFA should have somewhere between 10-14 spots.

Starting next season (2024/25), the U17 qualifying will use a new system, and the Euro U17 final tournament hosts will also play in the final qualifying round, so they can use the final round of qualifying to decide which teams qualify for the U17 World Cup. For example, let's say UEFA is given 14 spots, then the top two of the seven final qualifying round groups will qualify for the U17 World Cup. This way, there is no automatic World Cup spot for the Euro U17 final tournament hosts.

So the host can't qualify at all?

The U17 Euro hosts will also play in both U17 qualifying rounds, but they will qualify for the U17 Euros regardless of their qualifying results. So if qualifying for U17 World Cup uses any of the qualifying round results, the U17 Euro hosts can still qualify.

Oh, right, thanks

[amenina]

OFC U-16 Men’s Championship – Qualifying – Tonga | 13-19 April
OFC U-16 Men’s Championship – Tahiti | 28 July – 10 August

Qualifying fixtures: https://www.oceaniafootball.com/ofc-u-1 ... ualifying/