NBC Universo, Telemundo, Fox set to air dozens of FIFA U-17 World Cup matches

The FIFA U-17 World Cup Chile kicks off this weekend, and now U.S. audiences have no real excuses not to watch the next generation of world soccer talent.

That’s because all the action of group-stage competition will be available live and in Spanish on the networks of NBC UNIVERSO and Telemundo, as well as at NBCDeportes.com. (The United States’ opening match, vs. Nigeria at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday, is also listed on English-language cable network FS2’s schedule, and though Fox has been quiet about their coverage plans, it appears that their web-based app FoxSoccer2Go will show many matches, too.)

+FIND SoccerWire’s full range of U-17 World Cup coverage here

The FIFA U-17 World Cup Chile will take place from Saturday, Oct. 17 through Sunday, Nov. 8. The telecast schedule of matches on NBC UNIVERSO, Telemundo and NBCDeportes.com is listed below. (The full schedule of all 52 matches is also available at NBCUNIVERSO.com and NBCDeportes.com.)

Calling the action for each match will be award-winning announcer Andres Cantor along with Sammy Sadovnik, Carlos Hermosillo, Manuel Sol, Copan Alvarez, Ana Jurka and Karim Mendiburu.

Viewers can check their local TV listings, or visit www.nbcuniverso.com/encuentra, to find channel information for NBC UNIVERSO on their cable, satellite and telco systems. Subscribers can also live stream the match on the NBC UNIVERSO NOW app.

The national pride of soccer fans throughout the Americas will be on full display as they prepare to cheer for their favorite teams. CONCACAF will be represented by Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico and the United States. Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Paraguay and host country Chile will represent CONMEBOL.

The FIFA U-17 World Cup has helped launch the careers of notable soccer players like Landon Donovan, DaMarcus Beasley and Kyle Beckerman (USA); Javier Mascherano and Carlos Tevez (Argentina); and U-17 World Cup champions from Mexico: Carlos Vela (’05), Giovani Dos Santos (’05) and Julio Gomez (’11).

For Mexico, expectations are high. El Tri have made 11 appearances in this U-17 tournament and have won it twice (2005, 2011). The two-time champion is ready to go, according to head coach Mario Arteaga. He has stated that Mexico’s past success in this tournament should not provide added pressure for this group of young men to take home the trophy, as they are already committed to succeed and achieving something big. During the last U-17 World Cup, Mexico made it all the way to the finals before losing to Nigeria 3-0.

+READ: U-17 World Cup: Can U.S. wunderkind Haji Wright finally tap his massive potential?

The United States have competed in 14 of the 15 U-17 World Cups, but have never won. For the Stars and Stripes, success is not automatic. This squad made getting to this tournament more difficult than expected, securing one of the last two spots. with a win over Jamaica in the CONCACAF U-17 World Cup qualifying tournament. But for head coach Richie Williams, the focus has long since shifted from qualifying for this World Cup to trying to win it.