FIFA U-17 World Cups will be Hosted in Morocco and Qatar from 2025 to 2029
FIFA announced on Thursday that the girls’ tournament would be held in Morocco and the boys’ tournament would take place in Qatar from 2025 to 2029 for the following five editions.
The governing body of youth football announced in December that both competitions will return the following year, with the boys’ event growing from 24 to 48 teams. There will also be a rise in the number of participating girls’ teams, from 16 to 24.
According to FIFA, the possibility to “use existing footballing infrastructure in the interest of tournament efficiencies and sustainability” was a key factor in the decision to choose a single host country for several editions.
Both this year’s Asian Cup and the 2022 men’s World Cup were held in Qatar, which took over as host from China.
In honor of its centennial, Morocco will co-host the 2030 World Cup with Portugal and Spain. Three games will be held in South America.
The Club World Cup has been hosted by Morocco and Qatar many times. The Africa Cup of Nations is slated to take place in Morocco in 2025.
The Under-17 World Cup’s expansion is in line with a wider FIFA trend, since the men’s 2026 World Cup will include 48 teams for the first time. The field for the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand last year increased from 24 to 32 nations.
