Without Nigeria, FIFA U17 World Cup Draw Holds 15th September In Zurich

Without Nigeria, FIFA U17 World Cup Draw Holds 15th September In Zurich

By Niyi Busari

The 2023 FIFA U17 World Cup draw will hold on 15th September, 2023 without Nigeria - one of the best team in the competition, BSNSports.com.ng reports.

After winning the West African Football Union U17 tournament, Nduka Ugbade led team couldn't pick the World Cup ticket at the CAF U17 African Cup of Nations.

The draw for the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup will hold in Zurich on September 15, announced the global football body on Tuesday.

The West African country, Nigeria, won the inaugural edition in 1985 and has gone on to win in four extra occasions to become one of the most successful nation in the tournament's history, with five titles and further three appearances in the finals which they lost.

The tournament, which will be hosted by Indonesia will be contested by the following teams - Argentina, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Canada, Ecuador, England, France, Germany, Indonesia, IR Iran, Japan, Korea Republic, Mali, Mexico, Morocco, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Panama, Poland, Senegal, Spain, USA, Uzbekistan and Venezuela.

The 24 nations will be drawn into six groups of four. The teams have been split into four pots, with one team from each pot to be drawn into each group. Teams have been allocated into pots based on a points system determined by their performance at the past five editions of the FIFA U‑17 World Cup, with the nations that won their respective confederation’s qualifying tournament awarded five bonus points.

Indonesia has automatically been placed into Pot 1 as the tournament host. FIFA’s general principle is to ensure that no group has more than one team from the same confederation drawn into it.

The draw will be conducted by FIFA Director of Tournaments Jaime Yarza, with former FIFA U‑17 World Cup winner Stephen Appiah and Júlio César, who featured in the final of the 1995 edition, to act as assistants.

The pots are as follows:

Pot 1: Indonesia, Brazil, Mexico, France, Spain, Japan

Pot 2: Germany, Mali, England, Korea Republic, Argentina, Ecuador

Pot 3: New Zealand, IR Iran, Senegal, USA, Uzbekistan, Morocco

Pot 4: Canada, New Caledonia, Panama, Venezuela, Poland, Burkina Faso.