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The 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup kicks off at the Olympic Stadium in Canada on June 30 when Poland meets Brazil in the opening match of the campaign.

History

The tournament was first played in 1977, with Tunisia acting as the hosts. Sixteen teams qualified for the tournament, with the erstwhile USSR winning the trophy. The tournament has seen a revamp this year, starting with the name which has been changed from FIFA World Youth Championship to being known as FIFA U-20 World Cup.

The tournament has thrown up a number of players who went on to become super stars in the future including, Diego Maradona, Luis Figo, Romário and Ronaldinho. Defending champions Argentina are the most successful side in the competition, having won the tournament five times followed by Brazil (four titles) and Portugal (two titles). Other winners include Yugoslavia, Germany, Spain and the USSR.

Qualification

Over 23 teams qualified for the tournaments, with Canada earning an automatic qualification spot as the host nation. The teams qualifying for the final tournament were decided on the performances in their respective confederations’ Youth Championships.

Participants include six nations from Europe (Austria, Czech Republic, Poland, Portugal, Scotland and Spain), four each from Africa (Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Zambia and Gambia), Asia (Japan, Jordon, South Korea and North Korea), North America (USA, Mexico, Panama and Costa Rica) and South America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay). New Zealand qualified from the Oceania region.

Format

The 24 teams have been divided into six groups with 4 teams each, with teams playing each other twice in the group stage. Top two teams from each group qualify for the knockout stage, along with four best third-placed teams.

The competition allows only those players who are below the age of 20 to represent their countries. The tournament is scheduled to be held from June 30 to July 22 and will be played in six stadiums across Canada, with the final to be played on July 22 in the brand new stadium of BMO Field in Toronto.

Brazil has been slotted in a potential “Group of Death” which includes USA, Poland and South Korea. The Canadian sports authorities have hailed the latest edition to be a success, with over 950,000 tickets being sold out, making it the largest single-sport event to have taken place in the country. You can watch live Under 20 World Cup football online inside our member’s area.