Qatar will host the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in November and December 2025, the sport’s global governing body and local organizers announced. The tournament will run from 19 November to 13 December in the 2022 World Cup host nation and will feature 48 teams, according to a statement by the local organizing committee on Wednesday.

This marks the Gulf nation’s second year hosting the U-17 competition, which will be held in Qatar annually until 2029. The draw for the tournament will take place on 21 May in Zurich, Switzerland.

Matches will be held at the football pitches in Aspire Zone – a sporting complex in Doha, which also houses the Khalifa International Stadium. Local organizers said more than 197,460 spectators attended the 2025 tournament across 104 matches over 15 match days.

The 2025 edition served as a launchpad for emerging footballers, including Egypt’s Hamza Abdelkarim, Mali’s Seydou Dembele, Belgium’s Jesse Bisiwu and Nathan De Cat, and Italy’s Samuele Inacio. The final will be played at the Khalifa International Stadium, where Portugal were crowned champions in 2025.

The announcement comes a month after Qatar’s hosting of the “Finalissima” match between Spain and Argentina, scheduled for March, was cancelled due to the war in the Middle East. The game was part of the Qatar Football Festival, which also included matches between Egypt and Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Serbia, and other fixtures.

Source: www.aljazeera.com