In 48 hours, the under-17 Fifa World Cup will kick-off in India. With the 24 teams already sweating it out in practice games, the tournament promises to enthrall fans around the world. Host India are in Group A along with USA, Colombia and Ghana.
However, Group D promises to deliver some thrilling matches. Brazil, Korea DPR, Spain and Niger will fight it out for a place in the knock outs. They will play their matches in Kochi and Margao. Spain and Brazil are favourites to secure an automatic qualification.
Korea DPR
Fifa U-17 World Cup record
Korea DPR’s first bid for the under-17 World Cup dates all the way back to 1986. However, maiden qualification didn’t come until 2004 when they finished the Asian campaign as runners-up. After emulating the same feat two years later, Korea DPR won their first continental title in 2010 to seal their appearance at Mexico 2011. They have progressed beyond the group phase on three occasions – 2005, 2007 and also 2015 where they were eliminated in the round-of-16 by Mali.
Road to India
Of the four Asian qualifiers for the 2017 Fifa U-17 World Cup, Korea DPR were arguably the least impressive. Aside from a 4-1 win over Thailand, Korea DPR displayed trademark pragmatism with goalscoring at a premium. They defeated Yemen 2-0 but ended the group campaign with a 3-1 defeat by Uzbekistan. Qualification for India 2017 came via a penalty shoot-out win over Oman, before a defeat to Iran in the semi-final.
The coach
Korea DPR’s Yun Jong Su is a highly experienced figure in his native land having enjoyed a lengthy international playing career, before embarking on a prosperous coaching career. He featured in several Fifa World Cup campaigns commencing with qualifiers for Mexico 86. As a coach he led the senior national team during 2014 Fifa World Cup qualifiers and has coached extensively at youth international level, with an AFC U-20 Championship win in 2010 being his most notable success.
Big number
2 - Despite reaching the semi-finals of the AFC U-16 Championship, Korea DPR won just two of their five matches.
Brazil
Fifa U-17 World Cup record
Brazil are a formidable force in the age group, having won the Fifa U-17 World Cup three times and only missed the finals once, an appearance record that only USA have matched to date. The Brazilians’ three competition wins came in 1997, 1999 and 2003, and they lie second on the tournament’s roll of honour behind Nigeria, who have won it five times. They also finished runners-up in 1995 and 2005, third in 1985 and fourth in 2011. That solitary absence came in Japan 1993.
The road to India
Brazil went unbeaten in lifting this year’s South American U-17 title, winning seven of their matches and drawing the other two. Their domination of the competition was underlined by the fact that they scored more goals than any other side (24) and conceded fewer (three). The Brazilians clinched the continental title with a 5-0 defeat of hosts Chile, the only side that could have denied them it.
The coach
After doing a solid job in the youth ranks at Vitoria, Carlos Amadeu took charge of the Brazil U-17 side in May 2015, in the lead-up to the U-17 World Cup in Chile that year, where he steered the team to the last eight before they were knocked out by eventual champions Nigeria.
Big number
7 - the number of clean sheets Brazil kept in the South American qualifiers, with all those games ending in victory for them.
Spain
Fifa U-17 World Cup record
Despite their record haul of three Uefa European U-17 Championships, and five other titles when the event was still an U-16 tournament (also a record), Spain have never managed to capture the Fifa U-17 World Cup. Runners-up in 1991, 2003 and 2007, La Rojita have curiously failed to qualify since finishing third in 2009.
Road to India
The Spanish booked their ticket for India 2017 by claiming another European U-17 crown in Croatia in May. It was touch and go on this occasion, with Nacho Diaz equalising in injury time in the final to deny England. Spain then emerged victorious from the ensuing penalty shoot-out (4-1), the second time in the tournament they won a match, having seen off Germany via spot kicks in the semi-finals (4-2 on pens). These two testing victories had been preceded by a group stage that was notable for wins over Turkey (3-2) and Italy (3-1), and a draw with hosts Croatia (1-1), as well as a comfortable quarter-final success versus France (3-1).
The coach
As a former Spain international and Atletico Madrid defender, with whom he played for eight seasons and achieved a Spanish League and Cup double in 1996, Santi Denia is accustomed to intense levels of pressure. A native of Albacete, where he began and ended his footballing career, he moved into coaching in 2009. At Atletico, he fulfilled the role of assistant to Abel Resino and of caretaker coach for one match, and was then handed the reins of the Spanish U-16 side in 2010. He continued on with the U-17 team the following year, and has remained in place ever since. Following his charges’ recent continental success in Croatia, he stated: “The tournament was very open and the results came down to minor details in the end. The most important thing is that the squad held firm. The team was mentally strong, but also played some good football – that’s what we’re known for.”
Big number
6 - The number of minutes of stoppage time that had been played in the final of the 2017 European U-17 Championship between Spain and England when substitute Nacho Diaz headed home from a corner to make it 2-2. He made quite an impact, despite having only been on the pitch for eight minutes.
Niger
Fifa U-17 World Cup record
There is a first for everything. The Fifa U-17 World Cup India 2017 will see Niger make their debut on the world stage, having never previously appeared at a Fifa competition in any age group.
Road to India
Following their 1-0 defeat of Niger in the first leg of their second round qualifier for the 2017 Caf U-17 Africa Cup of Nations, two-time reigning world champions Nigeria would have been confident that their experience would take them through to the next round. However, a goal gave Niger a shock aggregate win. The Junior Menas backed up that performance by going on to reach the last four of the continental finals, a surprise run that secured them a place at India 2017. The Nigerians did not have it easy against Africa’s finest, drawing 2-2 with Angola in their opening group match in Gabon before losing 1-0 to Mali. That left them needing to beat Tanzania to advance to the semis, a task they achieved thanks to Ibrahim Boubacar Marou’s solitary goal. Beaten 6-5 on penalties by Ghana after a goalless semi-final, Niger then went down 3-1 to Guinea in the match for third place.
The coach
Tiemogo Soumaila was already a hero of Nigerien football even before leading the Junior Menas to India 2017. A former captain of the senior national team, Soumaila was a defender noted for his solidity on the ground and his prowess in the air, qualities that earned him the nickname ‘The Emperor’. A physical education and sports teacher, on account of football being an amateur sport in Niger at the time, he took up coaching after retiring from the game, taking courses in Europe and Brazil before being appointed Niger’s national director of football in 1995. The 1990s also saw him occupy the role of head coach.
Big number
1 - This is the first time Niger have qualified for a World Cup finals competition and it will most likely not be the last.
