FIFA U-20 World Cup
 The trophy awarded since 2013 | |
| Organiser(s) | FIFA |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1977 |
| Region | International |
| Teams | 24 (finals) |
| Related competitions | FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup FIFA U-17 World Cup |
| Current champions |  Morocco (1st title) |
| Most championships |  Argentina (6 titles) |
| Website | fifa.com/u20worldcup |
 2027 FIFA U-20 World Cup | |
| Tournaments |
|---|
The FIFA U-20 World Cup is the biennial football world championship tournament for FIFA members' men's national teams with players up to the age of 20. The competition has been staged every two years since the inaugural tournament in 1977 when it was hosted by Tunisia[1] under the tournament name of FIFA World Youth Championship until 2005.[2] In 2007 the name was changed to its present form. FIFA bills the men's Under-20 World Cup as "the tournament of tomorrow's superstars."[3] Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi and Paul Pogba are previous winners of the official player of the tournament award, and Erling Haaland was the top scorer at the 2019 edition. The reigning champions are Morocco, which won their first title at the 2025 tournament in Chile.
History
[edit]In the twenty-three editions of the tournament held, twelve nations have won the title. Argentina U20 is the most successful team with six titles, followed by Brazil U20 with five titles. Portugal U20 and Serbia U20 have both won two titles (with the latter winning once as Yugoslavia U20), while Ghana U20, Germany U20, Spain U20, France U20, England U20, Ukraine U20, Russia U20 (as the USSR U20), Uruguay U20, and Morocco U20 have won the title once each.
A corresponding event for women's teams, the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, began in 2002 with the name "FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship" and an age limit of 19. The age limit for the women's competition was changed to 20 beginning with the 2006 FIFA U-20 Women's World Championship, and the competition was renamed as a "World Cup" in 2007 in preparation for the 2008 event. The next edition is planned to be held in 2027 in Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan.
Qualification
[edit]24 national teams appear in the final tournament. 23 teams, including the defending champions, have to qualify in the youth championships of the six confederations. The team representing the host nation automatically qualifies.
Results
[edit]- 1977–2005: "FIFA World Youth Championship"
- 2007–present: "FIFA U-20 World Cup"
- a.e.t.: after extra time
- p: match won on penalties
Teams reaching the top four
[edit]| Team | Title(s) | Runners-up | Third place | Fourth place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina |
6 (1979, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2005, 2007) | 2 (1983, 2025) | 1 (2003) | |
 Brazil |
5 (1983, 1985, 1993, 2003, 2011) | 4 (1991, 1995, 2009, 2015) | 3 (1977, 1989, 2005) | |
 Portugal |
2 (1989, 1991) | 1 (2011) | 1 (1995) | |
 Serbia1 |
2 (1987, 2015) | |||
 Uruguay |
1 (2023) | 2 (1997, 2013) | 1 (1979) | 3 (1977, 1999, 2017) |
 Ghana |
1 (2009) | 2 (1993, 2001) | 1 (2013) | 1 (1997) |
 Spain |
1 (1999) | 2 (1985, 2003) | 1 (1995) | |
 Russia2 |
1 (1977) | 1 (1979) | 1 (1991) | 1 (1985) |
 Germany3 |
1 (1981) | 1 (1987) | ||
 England |
1 (2017) | 1 (1993) | 1 (1981) | |
 France |
1 (2013) | 2 (2011, 2025) | ||
| Morocco |
1 (2025) | 1 (2005) | ||
 Ukraine |
1 (2019) | |||
 Nigeria |
2 (1989, 2005) | 1 (1985) | ||
 Italy |
1 (2023) | 1 (2017) | 1 (2019) | |
 Mexico |
1 (1977) | 1 (2011) | ||
 South Korea |
1 (2019) | 2 (1983, 2023) | ||
 Qatar |
1 (1981) | |||
 Japan |
1 (1999) | |||
 Czech Republic |
1 (2007) | |||
 Venezuela |
1 (2017) | |||
 Mali |
2 (1999, 2015) | |||
 Colombia |
2 (2003, 2025) | |||
 Poland |
1 (1983) | 1 (1979) | ||
 Chile |
1 (2007) | 1 (1987) | ||
 Romania |
1 (1981) | |||
 East Germany |
1 (1987) | |||
 Republic of Ireland |
1 (1997) | |||
 Egypt |
1 (2001) | |||
 Hungary |
1 (2009) | |||
 Ecuador |
1 (2019) | |||
 Israel |
1 (2023) | |||
 Australia |
2 (1991, 1993) | |||
 United States |
1 (1989) | |||
 Paraguay |
1 (2001) | |||
 Austria |
1 (2007) | |||
 Costa Rica |
1 (2009) | |||
 Iraq |
1 (2013) | |||
 Senegal |
1 (2015) |
- 1 = includes results representing Yugoslavia
- 2 = Russia inherited the records and history of the Soviet Union national football teams after the dissolution of the Soviet Union
- 3 = Germany inherited the records and history of the West Germany national football teams after the reunification of Germany
Performances by continental zones
[edit]All continental confederations except for the OFC (Oceania) have made an appearance in the final match of the tournament. To date, CONMEBOL (South America) leads with twelve titles, followed by UEFA (Europe) with ten titles and the CAF (Africa) with two titles. Teams reprensenting the AFC (Asia) have made the final three times, but were defeated by strong UEFA teams. Mexico is the only team from CONCACAF (North, Central America and the Caribbean) which has made the final. Mexico lost to the Soviet Union in the final of the inaugural tournament in 1977, which is also their only appearance in a final. No current OFC member has ever made the semi-finals; Australia reached the last four as an OFC member in 1991 and 1993, finishing fourth on both occasions, before the country joined the AFC in 2006.
| Confederation (continent) | Performances | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winners | Runners-up | Third place | Fourth place | |
| CONMEBOL (South America) | 12 titles: Argentina (6), Brazil (5), Uruguay (1) | 9 times: Brazil (4), Uruguay (2), Argentina (2), Venezuela (1) | 8 times: Brazil (3), Colombia (2), Uruguay (1), Chile (1), Ecuador (1) | 6 times: Uruguay (3), Chile (1), Paraguay (1), Argentina (1) |
| UEFA (Europe) | 10 titles: Portugal (2), Serbia1 (2), Soviet Union (1), West Germany (1), Spain (1), France (1), England (1), Ukraine (1) | 7 times: Spain (2), Soviet Union (1), West Germany (1), Czech Republic (1), Portugal (1), Italy (1) | 10 times: Romania (1), Poland (1), East Germany (1), Soviet Union (1), England (1), Portugal (1), Republic of Ireland (1), Hungary (1), Italy (1), Israel (1) | 8 times: France (2), Poland (1), England (1), Soviet Union (1), Spain (1), Austria (1), Italy (1) |
| CAF (Africa) | 2 titles: Ghana (1), Morocco (1) | 4 times: Ghana (2), Nigeria (2) | 5 times: Mali (2), Nigeria (1), Egypt (1), Ghana (1) | 3 times: Ghana (1), Morocco (1), Senegal (1) |
| AFC (Asia) | None | 3 times: Qatar (1), Japan (1), South Korea (1) | None | 3 times: South Korea (2), Iraq (1) |
| CONCACAF (North, Central America and the Caribbean) | None | 1 time: Mexico (1) | 1 time: Mexico (1) | 2 times: United States (1), Costa Rica (1) |
| OFC (Oceania) | None | None | None | 2 times: Australia2 (2) |
Awards
[edit]The following awards are now presented:
- The Golden Ball is awarded to the most valuable player of the tournament;
- The Golden Boot is awarded to the top goalscorer of the tournament;
- The Golden Glove is awarded to the most valuable goalkeeper of the tournament;
- The FIFA Fair Play Trophy is presented to the team with the best disciplinary record in the tournament.
Records and statistics
[edit]See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ "CBC.ca". Archived from the original on 22 October 2007.
- ↑ Tolmich, Ryan (18 May 2023). "Lionel Messi, Diego Maradona, Erling Haaland and the superstars who have dominated the U20 World Cup". Goal.
- ↑ "Indonesia stripped of hosting Under-20 World Cup by FIFA". Associated Press News. 29 March 2023. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
External links
[edit]
- Official website
- Tournament archive at Fifa.com (in English)
- World Youth Cup (U-20) Overview at the RSSSF (in English)
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World association football championships | ||||||
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| See also | ||||||
- FIFA U-20 World Cup
- Under-20 association football competitions
- World youth sports competitions
- FIFA competitions for men's national teams
- FIFA competitions for national youth teams
- Recurring sporting events established in 1977
- World championships in association football
- Youth international association football competitions
