FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017: Mali, Niger book spots to complete 24 team line-up for main event

New Delhi: Mali and Niger on Monday completed a 24-team line-up from across six confederations for the upcoming FIFA U-17 World Cup, scheduled to be held in India from 6 to 28 October.

The line-up was completed after the CAF qualifiers.

Victories in their final group matches ensured Mali and Niger qualified for the tournament joining Ghana and Guinea, who had already sealed their qualification. Niger made history by qualifying for a first-ever FIFA tournament after defeating Tanzania 1-0.

The 2016 AFC U-16 Championship held last year ensured Iraq, Iran, Japan and North Korea qualified for the tournament from Asia.

Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico and the United States of America recently qualified from the CONCACAF (Central, North American and Caribbean) region.

England, France, Germany, Spain and Turkey recently sealed their places for the FIFA event after finishing as the best 5 teams from the 2017 UEFA European Championship.

Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Paraguay are the final CONMEBOL nations that will participate from South America while New Caledonia and New Zealand have qualified from the OFC (Oceania) region. Hosts India qualified for the tournament directly.

Welcoming the 24 countries, tournament director of the Local Organising Committee Javier Ceppi said, “It is very exciting to know the 24 teams that will be playing the World Cup. The line-up is superb, with established powerhouses in the category (such as former World Champions Brazil, Ghana and Mexico) and teams making their debut, among them the hosts India.

“Having seen the teams and knowing of their quality, football fans are in for a real treat in October and it is key that they can start getting their tickets now and book their place in history before is too late.”

With the 24 teams in place, the attention now turns to the official draw, which will take place on 7 July and determine the fixtures for each team.