The world football governing body, FIFA, has permitted Qatar and Morocco to host the men’s under-17 and women’s under-17 World Cup, respectively, for five straight years.
Qatar will host the men’s under-17 World Cup for five straight years, while Morocco will host the women’s edition for the same duration starting in 2025.
From the said year, the FIFA under-17 World Cup will be played yearly instead of once in two years. Hence, the tournament had to be taken to one country for five straight years to guarantee the availability of facilities and preserve the existing ones.
Note that Qatar hosted the 2022 FIFA World Cup,, meaning the country still has world-class facilities to host a world-class event.
As for Morocco, the country is expected to host the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and co-host the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
A statement from FIFA reads: “Qatar will host the next five editions from 2025, with Morocco the venue for FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in the same period.”
“The FIFA Council has confirmed that the FIFA U-17 World Cup™ will be expanded to 48 teams and be held annually rather than biennially, as part of the governing body’s steadfast commitment to youth football. It was also confirmed that the next five editions of the competition, starting in 2025, will take place in Qatar.”
“Meanwhile, the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup™, which has been expanded to 24 teams and will be played annually as of 2025, will be hosted by Morocco until 2029.”
“These decisions followed a global call for expressions of interest in hosting both competitions, with a focus on leveraging the use of existing footballing infrastructure in the interest of tournament efficiencies and sustainability.”
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