The Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) Under-17 World Cup kicks off on Tuesday in Indonesia, showcasing the future stars of world soccer. The 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup kicks off with a Group A match between Panama and Morocco at 6 p.m. ET, followed by a Group B match between Mali and Uzbekistan at the same time .The Panama-Morocco match will be played at Gelora Bung Tomo in Surabaya, Indonesia, while the Mali-Uzbekistan match will be held at Manahan Stadium in Surakarta. This is the 19th edition of the U-17 World Cup, which began in 1985.It has been held every other year, but the last edition, scheduled for 2021, was canceled due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic .Nigeria holds the record for most wins with five (1985, 1993, 2007, 2013, 2015), followed by Brazil with four (1997, 1999, 2003, 2019). The four host cities are Jakarta (International Stadium), Surabaya, Bandung (Jalan Harupat Stadium) and Surakarta. The U-17 World Cup is a tournament where many players have gone on to become global soccer stars. Luiz Figo (Portugal, 1989), Gianluigi Buffon (Italy, 1993), Xavi (Spain, 1997), Andres Iniesta (Spain, 2001), David Silva (Spain, 2003), Eden Hazard (Belgium), Toni Kroos (Germany, 2007), and Neymar (Brazil, 2009) have all competed in the tournament. Son Heung-min (Tottenham), who has become an iconic figure in Korean soccer, helped South Korea reach the quarterfinals in Nigeria in 2009, which remains the country’s best result in the tournament to date. The tournament will feature 24 nations, including South Korea, divided into six groups of four teams.
The top two teams from each group, plus the four best-performing teams from the third-place group, will compete for the title. South Korea will be making their seventh appearance at the FIFA U-17 World Cup, with their best results coming in the quarterfinals in 1987, 2009 and 2019. In 1987, the tournament featured 16 nations, with the winners of the group stage advancing directly to the quarterfinals, while in 2007, the tournament moved to a 24-nation format, with single-elimination matches starting in the round of 16.This year’s squad, led by Byun Sung-hwan, will be aiming for the quarterfinals and beyond .In Group E, South Korea will face the United States on Dec. 12, followed by France on Dec. 15 and Burkina Faso on Dec. 18.The matches against the U.S. and France will be played in Jakarta, while the third match against Burkina Faso will be played in Bandung. The World Cup roster is dominated by players who competed at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-17 Asian Cup in June, including captain Kim Myung-jun, who plays for the Pohang Steelers U-18 team in the K League 1, as well as Kang Min-woo (Ulsan U-18), Lim Hyun-seop (Suwon U-18) and Yoon Do-young (Daejeon U-18).Bae Sung-ho, Woo Jeong-hyung (Daejeon U-18), Baek Ga-on (Bogago), Lee Kyung-jun (Suwon U-18) and Han Seok-jin (Jeonbuk U-18), who missed the Asian Cup but caught the eye of Byun Sung-hwan in training, were also included .Han is the only 2007-born player in the final 21-man roster, with all other players born in 2006.Byun, who qualified for the World Cup as the runner-up at the AFC U-17 Asian Cup in Thailand in June, has been warming up with domestic and international call-ups, including training in Indonesia. Last month, the team participated in a four-nation friendly tournament in Spain, where they lost 1-2 to Morocco in the first match, but later drew with Belgium (3-3) 카지노사이트 and England (1-1) to boost their confidence.