FIFA U-17 World Cup

FIFA U-17 World Cup 2023: Qualified nations & full groups

By Rajarshi Shukla Rajarshi Shukla

September 15 2023 |

Indonesia will host the competition in November

On Friday, September 15, the selection process for the FIFA U-17 World Cup Indonesia 2023 was conducted.

Six groups of four have been formed from the 24 countries. Four pools have been created out of the teams, and one team will be chosen from every pot to join each group.

The countries that topped the corresponding confederation’s qualifying tournament were awarded five bonus points, and teams were divided into pots according to a scoring system based on how they performed at the previous five FIFA U-17 World Cups.

Having three each, Egypt and Algeria have the most officials among the nations that are represented. Seven technical coaches and athletic trainers were picked from Zimbabwe, Burundi, Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal, Morocco, and Djibouti. Four VAR referees have been selected from Mauritius, South Africa, Morocco, and Egypt.

The South Pacific nation of New Caledonia entered from the Oceania zone to participate in what is going to be their second U17 World Cup Finals participation making its debut in 2017. This will be England’s first-ever encounter with New Caledonia at any stage.

Assisting Jaime Yarza, Director of FIFA Tournaments, in conducting the draw were former FIFA U-17 World Cup champion Stephen Appiah and finalist Julio Cesar.

The event’s inaugural game will be played between hosts Indonesia and Ecuador, whereas the group-stage draw also produced a tantalising matchup between Brazil and England, the previous two tournament champions. The complete draw is listed below.