Four European nations have qualified to join New Zealand at November’s FIFA U-17 Men’s World Cup.
France, Germany, Poland and Spain booked their places at the tournament by reaching the semi-finals of the European U-17 Championship in Hungary in May.
A fifth European nation will also qualify when England and Switzerland meet in a sudden death play-off on May 31 (NZT).
The European qualifiers bring to 18 the number of teams already assured of places at the 24-team tournament.
France were the 2001 U-17 world champions while Spain have been runners-up four times. Germany will make their 11th appearance at an U-17 World Cup, while Poland have qualified for their third.
The venue of the November tournament remains undecided after FIFA stripped Peru of its hosting rights, saying the country was not ready for the tournament.
FIFA are assessing alternatives.
The decision also means Peru loses its right to attend the World Cup as the host nation.
Main photo: The New Zealand team at the OFC U-17 Championship, where they earned their place at the FIFA U-17 Men’s World Cup by reaching the final. Photo: Phototek.
The 18 nations already qualified
Eighteen nations have confirmed their places at the FIFA U-17 Men’s World Cup:
- New Zealand and New Caledonia, through reaching the final of the OFC U-17 Championship in Fiji.
- Canada, United States, Mexico and Panama, who qualified through the 16-nation CONCACAF U-17 Championship tournament in Guatemala.
- Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela and Ecuador, through the South American U-17 Championship.
- Senegal, Morocco, Mali and Burkina Faso, through the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations.
- France, Germany, Poland and Spain, through the U-17 European Championship.
Where the other 6 teams will come from
The remaining six participants will come from:
- AFC (Asia) — four semi-finalists at the U-17 Asian Cup in late June.
- UEFA (Europe) — England or Switzerland who play off on May 31 (NZT).
- Host nation — depends on a decision by FIFA as to which country will host the tournament.
READ MORE: Our previous stories about the New Zealand U-17 men’s team >>>>
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