Monday 12 November 2018, 02:47

Uruguay ready for U-17 Women’s World Cup curtain-raiser

  • Sixth FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup starts tomorrow

  • Uruguay host first World Cup since inaugural FIFA World Cup™ in 1930

  • Holders Korea DPR looking to defend title, Finland make debut

Two-hundred crunches at 6:20am. Early morning sprints up and down the pitch. Long journeys to training sessions. Late-night exam-studying. All of the sacrifices, no matter how big or small—they were all worth it. The FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup is here.

Sixteen teams are ready to compete against the best nations in the world. After years of hard work and dedication, the time has come for them to show the world what they are all about.

What you need to know

  • The FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup starts on 13 November and ends on 1 December

  • The tournament takes place every two years

  • Sixteen teams will compete for the trophy

  • Four teams play in a round-robin group stage, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the quarter-finals

  • Hosts Uruguay play their first match against Ghana in Montevideo on 13 November

Frontrunners

You can expect Japan, holders Korea DPR and Korea Republic to put out strong sides—after all, they make up four of the five previous champions in competition history (the other is France). Spain won the UEFA U-17 Women's Championship, and in their three previous appearances in the competition they finished on the podium every time, so expectations will be high for La Rojita.

Uruguay players during a training session ahead of the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup

Hosts Uruguay train ahead of their opening match against Ghana in Montevideo

Dark horses

Brazil and USA will be entering the competition with confidence having won their respective regional competitions, however, neither nation has lifted the U-17 Women’s World Cup trophy. Finland are this year's only debutants, however don't let that tag fool you. They finished in third place in their inaugural appearance at the UEFA Women's U-17 Championship to qualify for Uruguay 2018.

Never count out the host nation. Supporters can always play a crucial role in lifting a side competing on home soil in a world finals, so time will tell if La Celeste can become the first host nation to advance past the U-17 Women's World Cup group stage.

Did you know?

  • Every team is required to have at least one female on the coaching staff

  • All players must be born on or after 1 January 2001 and on or before 31 December 2003

  • During the knockout stages if matches finish level after the 90 minutes, no extra time is played, with the winner being decided by a penalty shoot-out

  • Each squad is made up of 21 players

How to follow all the action with FIFA Digital

FIFA.com is your destination for comprehensive coverage of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, bringing you the stories you need to know throughout the tournament.

Follow the tournament on social media with the hashtag #U17WWC and be sure to be checking Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for behind-the-scenes content throughout the competition. Visit our Youtube page for official video match highlights and other video features.

Bookmark these links now

Match schedule | Group standings | Teams | Video match highlights