The Under 17 FIFA World Cup acts as a glimpse of the upcoming international football sensations. A team of young, expert footballers representing their country at an international level, the U-17 World Cup is organized by FIFA every 2 years. The upcoming tournament in 2017 will be hosted by India. This will be the first time that a FIFA tournament would be held in India. 24 teams across 6 federations would be competing in the tournament.
For the same, former FC Barcelona Captain, Carles Puyol is likely to visit India this May. The former World Cup winner will be in India for the official ticket launch ceremony of the Under-17 World Cup.
Amongst the many rumours that have been flying around, regarding the cup, it seems this one has some substance. Any confirmation regarding the same shall only be announced 2 days before the event. The event is scheduled to take place on May 15 in Delhi, one of the 6 host cities of the tournament.
India is considered as the sleeping giant in the world of football globally and thus staging a tournament as big as the Under-17 World Cup could trigger a footballing revolution in the country.
Football is already very popular amongst the youth in India, almost at par with cricket. A government-endorsed initiative called Mission XI Million is being spread across the country to help educate children in India about football and encourage the kids to take up football early on in their lives.
A tournament this big would also bring in additional international exposure to the country.
The decided venues for the tournament are as follows: –
-Kolkata- Salt Lake Stadium
-Kochi- Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium
-Delhi- Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium
-Navi Mumbai- DY Patil Stadium
-Guwhati- Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium
-Margao- Fatorda Stadium
The final match of the tournament would be held at Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata.
India awaits a football revolution this October and we wouldn’t be more excited.
