FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup India 2022 schedule announced

FIFA and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup India 2022 have on Wednesday (June 15) officially announced the schedule for the biennial youth football tournament.

India will host this showpiece event for the first time, from October 11 to 30.

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Bhubaneswar will host India’s group stage matches beginning October 11 while Goa has been awarded both semi-finals. The final will be played in Navi Mumbai on October 30.

As per the schedule, 24 group stage games will conclude on October 18 and the matches will be shared among all three host states – Odisha, Goa and Maharashtra. The quarter-final round of games will be held on October 21 and 22 following which the semi-finals will be held on October 26.

The Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar will see host India compete in all three group stage games on October 11, 14 and 17.

The DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai and the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda, Goa will equally share the four quarter-final games.

Draw on June 24

A total of 32 games contested by 16 teams will decide the winner of the seventh edition of the biennial youth tournament over 10 matchdays, with each venue hosting double headers on each matchday.

All participating nations now eagerly await the Official Draw on June 24 to find out their definitive path to lifting this coveted trophy in Navi Mumbai.

“On the back of the successful FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017, which broke the record for being FIFA’s most attended youth World Cup ever, India 2022 is carrying on the positive legacy,” the organisers said.

“This youth tournament has touched the lives of 2,500 children through its Kick Off The Dream Football Carnivals, which aim at encouraging gender-inclusive participation. Promoting women in leadership, the LOC has also equipped the Indian footballing ecosystem with 162 female coaches in the grassroots through its legacy initiative, the Coach Education Scholarship Programme. Further editions of both, the coaching programme and the football carnival, are planned in the lead up to the 11th October kick off,” they added.