Half the teams going to next year’s FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup have confirmed their qualification, with big names such as holders Spain and the United States joining New Zealand at the tournament.
The tournament has undergone a revamp with the FIFA Council deciding in October 2023 to increase the number of participating nations from 16 to 24.
This will extend the tournament in Columbia by a week, and it will run from August 31 till September 22, 2024.
New Zealand qualified for the U-20 World Cup by winning the OFC U-19 Championship held in Fiji in July.
New Zealand beat Fiji 7-0 in the final, taking the only qualifying spot at next year’s World Cup.
READ MORE: New Zealand qualify for next year’s FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup >>>>
However, FIFA’s decision to increase the participation to 24 teams has meant a reprieve for Fiji and they became the second OFC team to qualify.
The 12 teams who have qualified
Nations to confirm their qualification for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup:
- New Zealand and Fiji, through reaching the final of the OFC U-16 women’s championship in Fiji.
- Colombia (hosts).
- Canada, Costa Rica, Mexico and United States, who qualified through the CONCACAF U-20 Women’s Championship.
- Austria, France, Germany, Netherlands and Spain, who qualified through the UEFA U-19 Women’s Championship.
Where the other 12 teams will come from
- AFC (Asia) — four to qualify from the AFC U-20 Women’s Asia Cup in March 2024.
- CAF (Africa) — four to qualify from African U-20 qualifying tournament to conclude February 21, 2024.
- CONMEBOL (South America) — four to qualify from the South American U-20 Women’s Championship (dates to be decided).
FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup
The 24-team tournament will be held in Colombia from August 31 — September 22, 2024.
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