2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup
Official Emblem for the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017
| |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country |  India |
| Dates | 6–28 October 2017 |
| Teams | 24 (from 6 confederations) |
| Venue(s) | 6 (in 6 host cities) |
The 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup will be the 17th edition of the FIFA U-17 World Cup, the biennial international men's youth football championship contested by the U17 national teams of the member associations of FIFA. The tournament will be hosted by India between 6 and 28 October 2017. This will be the first FIFA tournament hosted by the country.
Should the competition be considered a success, the All India Football Federation has hinted at a FIFA U-20 World Cup bid.
Nigeria, the 2015 champions, will not be able to defend their title as they failed to reach the final round of the CAF qualifying tournament. In doing so, they became the first incumbent title holder since Switzerland in 2009 to fail to qualify for the subsequent tournament.
Host selection
Bids had to be submitted by 15 November 2013. The following four countries had submitted bids to host the tournament:
FIFA revealed on 5 December 2013 (as part of their Executive Committee meeting in Salvador, Brazil) that India would be the host.
Venues
The initial short-list of 10 venues in the host cities of New Delhi, Chennai, Pune, Mumbai, Margao, Bangalore, Kolkata, Kochi, Guwahati, and Navi Mumbai was announced in December 2013. Following the reception of FIFA's technical report, Kochi, Delhi, Navi Mumbai, Guwahati, Margao and Kolkata were provisionally selected as venues for the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup in May 2015. The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kochi was the first venue to be provisionally selected.Navi Mumbai's DY Patil Stadium was the second stadium to be selected on 20th October 2016. The FIFA delegation visited India between 19–25 October 2016 to evaluate the progress made towards the preparation in each of the six stadiums. After a thorough inspection, the 13-member FIFA team, along with 10 members of the Local Organising committee, ratified Kochi, Goa, Navi Mumbai, New Delhi, Guwahati, and Kolkata as venues for the FIFA U-17 World Cup, 2017.
In addition to the selected venues, there is also a Plan B. FIFA has listed Ahmedabad, Pune, Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram among others, as alternate venues.
| Kolkata | Kochi | New Delhi |
|---|---|---|
| Salt Lake Stadium (Upgraded) | Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium | Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium |
| Capacity: 85,000[13][14] | Capacity: 60,500 | Capacity: 60,000 |
 |  |  |
| Navi Mumbai | Guwahati | Margao |
| DY Patil Stadium | Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium | Fatorda Stadium |
| Capacity: 55,000 | Capacity: 30,000 | Capacity: 19,000 |
 |  |  |
Qualified teams
A total of 24 teams qualify for the final tournament. In addition to India who qualified automatically as hosts, the other 23 teams qualify from six separate continental competitions. Starting from 2017, the Oceania Football Confederation will receive an additional slot (in total two), while UEFA will have five instead of six slots.
| Confederation | Qualifying tournament | Qualifier(s) |
|---|---|---|
| AFC (Asia) | Host nation | India1 |
| 2016 AFC U-16 Championship |  Iran Iraq Japan North Korea | |
| CAF (Africa) | 2017 Africa U-17 Cup of Nations |  TBD TBD TBD TBD |
| CONCACAF (Central, North America and Caribbean) | 2017 CONCACAF U-17 Championship | TBD TBD TBD TBD |
| CONMEBOL (South America) | 2017 South American Under-17 Championship | TBD TBD TBD TBD |
| OFC (Oceania) | 2017 OFC U-17 Championship |  New Caledonia1 New Zealand |
| UEFA (Europe) | 2017 UEFA European Under-17 Championship | TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD |
- 1.^ Teams that will make their debut.
Schedule and draw
The draw will be held on 7 July 2017.
Emblem
Launched during the AFC U-16 Championship, which also serves as the first set of qualifiers for next year’s tournament, the emblem of the first-ever FIFA tournament in India 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 – an integral part of the national identity.
Each of these elements has been selected for its deep significance in the culture of the country. The Indian Ocean that serves as the base of the emblem is an integral part of the subcontinent. The banyan tree is the national tree of India, deeply rooted in the culture and ethos of the country and under which rural communities traditionally gather to take all major decisions in its shade.
The kite is the symbol of freedom and fun. Popular across the country, it represents the soaring aspirations of India’s young and vibrant democracy. Finally, the starburst that sits on the top of the emblem evokes festivity and celebration, representing all the festivals that grace this multicultural country and making a statement that the FIFA U-17 World Cup will be a new festival for all calendars.
Shaped like the FIFA U-17 World Cup trophy, the emblem combines the global look of the beautiful game with a quintessentially Indian feel. It represents what the tournament stands for.[17]
Present at the event were FIFA President Gianni Infantino, Praful Patel, Chairman of the LOC and of the All India Football Federation (AIFF), AFC President Shaikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa and Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Vijay Goel.
National Supporters
On 20 December 2016, Bank of Baroda became the first Indian company to sign up as a national supporter for the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017.
Mascot
A clouded leopard named Kheleo, was unveiled on 10 February 2017.
