FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup India 2022™
Kenio Gonzalo’s U-17s followed in the footsteps of the country’s U-20 side to make it a FIFA Women’s World Cup™ double in 2022.
Just 94 days after lifting the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Costa Rica 2022™, Spain were once again victorious as they edged past Colombia to win the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup India 2022™ after almost three weeks of compelling action.
The seventh edition of the tournament took place across three Host Cities in India and included 16 nations from six confederations. Over the 19-day tournament, 32 games were played, 95 goals scored and over 185,000 people attended games, as the best young players from around the world went toe-to-toe for the honour of being crowned world champions.
On the day of the final, in front of 24,824 people and in a closely fought
contest, it was an 82nd-minute own goal from Ana Guzmán that propelled Spain to their second consecutive title at U-17 level.
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Earlier on the same day, and also in the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, the two beaten semi-finalists – Nigeria and Germany – played out a thrilling 3-3 draw in the battle for third place. It was a battle Nigeria eventually won, following a 3-2 victory on penalties. Having never gone further than the quarter-final stage before, it was a record-breaking finish for Bankole Olowookere’s side.
Three countries made their debuts in the competition: hosts India, Morocco and Tanzania. India had the most experience of the three but came up short against the USA, Morocco and Brazil. Despite Morocco’s handsome win against India, they too fell at the first hurdle.
Bucking the trend were Tanzania, who sprang a major surprise in the country’s very first FIFA World Cup appearance. They beat France 2-1 and drew 1-1 with Canada to qualify for the knockout phase. Even though defeated 3-0 by Colombia in the quarter-finals, the Tanzanians had an unforgettable experience on their debut on the global stage.
Awards
Away from the pitch
As well as all the action on the pitch, the 19-day tournament in India also allowed for a series of important events to take place away from the pitch, as FIFA continued to ensure the legacy of the tournament lives on long after the final ball was kicked.
Football for School launches in India
On the day of the final, FIFA President Gianni Infantino signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Education in India and the All India Football Federation (AIFF) to launch Football for Schools across India, with the goal of reaching 25 million schoolchildren throughout the country.
At the event, representing the local government and football authorities, the MoU was also signed by India’s Minister of Education, Dharmendra Pradhan, and the President of the AIFF, Kalyan Chaubey
“This is a partnership to give every talent of India a chance to become a world star, but also, more than that, to try to make every Indian girl and boy benefit from the values of football.”
Volunteers seize their chance to shine at FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup India 2022™
Close to 650 volunteers were selected from over 7,000 people who applied to be a part of the tournament. The volunteers across the three venues were given intensive training and worked closely with the Local Organising Committee (LOC) to ensure all key deliverables were met.
Working under the guidance of the LOC’s Volunteer Management Team, supported by the FIFA Volunteer Management Department, many of them were motivated to be part of the 20-day tournament by the chance to be close to the sporting action and their lifelong passion for football.
“I love football so much that if you ask me what would be my last wish before life ends, I would say I want to play a game of football. So, there was no way I was going to miss out on this opportunity,” said 23-year-old Solomon Ogba when asked about the reason he decided to volunteer for the tournament.
FIFA’s volunteer programme provides an opportunity to people from all walks of life to be a part of its tournaments and learn by working with FIFA officials. Participants not only end up with lifelong memories but also get to witness the sporting action from the closest of quarters.
Safeguarding added to the volunteers’ agenda for the first time
Among those volunteering in India were 12 young nationals, who became part of FIFA history because of an important responsibility that they had been assigned.
This group worked as safeguarding volunteers for the tournament, the first time a FIFA youth tournament had engaged people in this role to support the on-site safeguarding competition team. This was made possible thanks to the collaboration between the Volunteer Management team and the Safeguarding & Child Protection Department at FIFA.
FIFA’s safeguarding programme is aimed at protecting participants and fans from abuse, exploitation and harassment. It was first implemented at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Costa Rica 2022™. At the tournament, one FIFA safeguarding official was on duty for each of the 32 matches, along with a representative from Costa Rica’s National Children’s Institute.