Men's, women's U-17 World Cups to be staged annually from 2025, says FIFA; Qatar, Morocco named hosts for next 5 editions

The men's and women's editions of the U-17 World Cup will be held annually instead of biennially from 2025 onwards, world football governing body FIFA announced on Thursday.

FIFA also named Qatar as the host of the next five editions of the men's U-17 World Cup from 2025 to 2029, with Morocco being awarded the hosting rights for the women's version for the same period.

The FIFA Council, the organization's apex decision-making body, also announced that the men's U-17 World Cup will be expanded to 48 teams from the current 24 teams. The women's counterpart, on the other hand, will be expanded to 24 teams from the present 16-team format.

"These decisions followed a global call for expressions of interest in hosting both competitions, with a focus on leveraging the use of existing footballing infrastructure in the interest of tournament efficiencies and sustainability," FIFA said in its statement.

FIFA also said a record $2.25 billion has been earmarked for the 2023-2026 cycle for investment in football development.

"Thanks to its solid financial governance, FIFA is well on track to exceed its budgetary target of $11 billion for the 2023-2026 cycle," FIFA President Gianni Infantino said at the FIFA Council meeting.

FIFA said the budget for the 2023-2026 cycle is almost seven times as much as the investment in the development programs prior to 2016.

The council's annual report will be submitted to the 74th FIFA Congress in Bangkok, Thailand, on May 17, 2024, for final approval.

The FIFA Congress will hold a vote on the host(s) of the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup in Bangkok after FIFA received a bid from Brazil, a joint bid from Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands, as well as a joint bid from Mexico and the United States.

(With input from agencies)

(Cover: Players of China's U-17 women's team battle for the ball during a training session in Suzhou, China, February 27, 2024. /CFP)