USA drawn into Group E for 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup

CHICAGO – The U.S. U-17 Men’s Youth National Team will face Korea Republic, Burkina Faso and France in Group E in the upcoming 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup, set to take place from Nov. 10-Dec. 2 in Indonesia. The final draw for the competition took place today at FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland.

The USA opens the U-17 World Cup on Sunday, Nov. 12 against Korea Republic, takes on Burkina Faso on Wednesday, Nov. 15 and wraps up the group stage vs. France on Saturday, Nov. 18. All three group stage games will kick off at 7 a.m. ET and will be played at Jakarta International Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia’s capital. The tournament will be broadcast on FOX and Telemundo platforms.

2023 FIFA U-17 WORLD CUP – USA GROUP STAGE SCHEDULE

The USA will compete in a record 18th FIFA U-17 World Cup this fall, tied with Brazil for the most appearances in the competition of any nation.

The 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup features 24 countries divided into six groups of four teams. The top two finishers in each group, as well as the four best third-place teams, will advance to the Round of 16 from Monday, Nov. 20 to Wednesday, Nov. 22. The quarterfinals will take place on Friday, Nov. 24 and Saturday, Nov. 25. The winners of those games will advance to the tournament semifinals on Tuesday, Nov. 28, while the championship match is set for Saturday, Dec. 2 at Manahan Stadium in Surakarta.

Should the USA advance to the Round of 16, it could face a team from Groups A, D or F.

The U.S. was drawn out of Pot 3 alongside New Zealand, IR Iran, Senegal, Uzbekistan and Morocco.  Teams were sorted into pots based on a ranking determined by success in the last five FIFA U-17 World Cups, with more recent tournament results weighted more heavily, as well as performance in confederation qualifying tournaments.

The tournament will be the 19th overall world championship for this age group. The first three were held as the FIFA U-16 World Championship before the competition was moved to the U-17 level for the 1991 event and the tournament assumed its current name in 2007. The USA’s best finish came at the 1999 FIFA U-17 World Championship in New Zealand, where the team took fourth led by future full USMNT stalwarts DaMarcus Beasley and Landon Donovan. Current U.S. Soccer Vice President of Sporting Oguchi Onyewu also represented the USA at the tournament.

Five players from the USA’s 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup roster have made their senior USMNT debuts, while two- defender Joe Scally and forward Gio Reyna- represented the USA at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

The USA qualified for the 2023 U-17 World Cup with a strong performance at the 2023 Concacaf U-17 Championship in Guatemala. The U.S. won six straight against continental competition before falling to Mexico in the tournament final. The U.S. punched its World Cup ticket with a thrilling back-and-forth 5-3 win against the host nation in front of a raucous crowd in Guatemala City.

The USA and Korea Republic have met twice at the FIFA U-17 World Cup, going 1-1-0. Freddy Adu netted a hat trick to boost the USA to a 6-1 win against the Taegeuk Warriors at the 2003 tournament in Finland. Korea Republic finished runner-up at the 2023 AFC U-17 Asian Cup to secure its World Cup spot.

The U-17 World Cup tilt will be the USA’s first match against Burkina Faso. The Stallions finished third at the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations as forward Souleymane Alio took home MVP honors.

The U.S. and France met in the group stage of the 2001 U-17 World Championship in Trinidad and Tobago, a 5-3 loss in which future USMNT forward Eddie Johnson scored. France earned its World Cup berth with a second-place finish at the UEFA U-17 Championship, falling to Germany in the final on penalty kicks.