Yes folks that's right, the extremely sensible and not at all money-grabbing chaps at FIFA have today decided that starting in 2025, the U17 World Cup will now be held every single year!
Like the senior world cup, it will also be expanded to 48 teams. And as if that wasn't stupid enough, the next FIVE tournaments from 2025-2029 will all be held in Qatar!
I've absolutely no idea how teams will have time to qualify for it, or when the various Confederations will have the time to fit their own U17 tournaments in.
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Let's be honest, does it matter where it's held? Was you planning on going?
And yes it does matter where it's held. It's called a 'world' cup. Holding it in the same country every year kind of misses the point.
The first, FIFA changing it to every five years:
Okay. I think every two years is better, but holding it every year allows more young players to play for their countries and against a wider range of oppositions. It might seem a little excessive now, but I could also see it becoming an important yearly event for countries and a great way to get age groups playing competitive football when many of the players won't yet be in senior teams.
Like the senior world cup, it will also be expanded to 48 teams:
Okay, this seems quite excessive, it's a lot of coordination, it's a lot of pressure on federations and players and coaches. And it takes some of the prestige away.
And as if that wasn't stupid enough, the next FIVE tournaments from 2025-2029 will all be held in Qatar!
There's the FIFA we know and love!!!!!!!!!!!!!! $$$$$$$$$$
If you have a World Cup every year, how on earth would qualifications be organised?
It's also likely to mean that some of the top clubs are hardly likely to see much of their players. If you factor in qualifiers, warm up matches, pre-tournament training camp, the tournament itself, these kids will be away from their clubs for many weeks every year.
That might be a good thing as they'll get the experience of playing against other top international sides, and i guess they won't actually be playing more football because with Qatar the tournament will be held in our winter during the season. But if you're an elite 16-17 year old, you might actually be better off playing U21 football, so not sure how it works if your country insist you are called up. Do clubs have the right to veto call ups at that level?