FIFA U-17 World Cup Qatar 2025 draw set for tomorrow as tournament expands to 48 teams

Doha, Qatar: The draw for the FIFA U 17 World Cup Qatar 2025 will be held tomorrow, Sunday, in Doha. The tournament is scheduled to take place from No...

Doha, Qatar: The draw for the FIFA U-17 World Cup Qatar 2025 will be held tomorrow, Sunday, in Doha. The tournament is scheduled to take place from November 3 to 27, marking the first time in the competition’s history that 48 teams will participate.

FIFA previously awarded Qatar the hosting rights for five consecutive editions of the U-17 World Cup, beginning in 2025 under its new expanded format, which features 48 teams - a historic first across all FIFA tournaments.

The upcoming tournament will see 104 matches played over a span of 25 days. All games will be held at eight stadiums within the Aspire Academy, while the final will take place at Khalifa International Stadium.

Under the tournament format, the 48 qualified teams will be divided into 12 groups of four. The top two teams from each group, along with the eight best third-placed teams, will advance to the Round of 32, totaling 32 teams in the knockout stages. The knockout rounds will proceed from the Round of 32 to the Round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, and the final match on November 27.

FIFA seeded the participating teams into four pots based on their performance in the past five editions of the U-17 World Cup. Each pot contains 12 teams. Host nation Qatar is placed in Pot 1 and will lead Group A, playing the tournament opener on November 3.