Five past champions to join New Zealand at FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup

posted in: FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, National teams, News |

Only four places remain at the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, with five past champions joining New Zealand at the 24-team tournament.

The 20 nations to have secured their places at the tournament in Columbia include past winners United States (2002, 2008 and 2012), Germany (2004, 2010 and 2014), Japan (2018), North Korea (2006, 2016) and current champions Spain (2022).

Main photo: Spain were the winners at the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. Photo credit: FIFA.

Four nations will make their first appearance at the tournament, with Fiji, Cameroon, Morocco and Austria qualifying for the first time.

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 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 2023.

New Zealand beat Fiji 7-0 in the final, taking the only qualifying spot at next year’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 20 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.
Cameroon, Ghana, Morocco and Nigeria, who qualified through the 2024 African U-20s World Cup qualifiers, in January 2024.
Australia, Japan, North Korea and South Korea, who qualified through the AFC U-20 Women’s Asian Cup in March 2024.

Where the other 4 teams will come from

CONMEBOL (South America) — four will qualify from the South American U-20 Women’s Championship (April 11-May 5, 2024).

The four South American qualifiers will come from the following nine nations: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela.

FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup

The 24-team tournament will be held in Colombia from August 31 — September 22, 2024.

Games will be hosted in the Colombian cities of Bogotá, Cali and Medellin.

Main photo: Colombian football fans … ready to host the country’s third-ever FIFA tournament. Photo credit: FIFA.

The 24 participating teams will be divided into six groups of four. The top two teams in each group qualify for the round of 16, along with the four best third-placed teams. There will then be quarter-finals, semi-finals, a match for third place and the final.