Founded | 1985 |
---|---|
Region | International (FIFA) |
Number of teams | 24 |
Current champions | Nigeria (5th title) |
Most successful team(s) | Nigeria (5 titles) |
Website | U-17 World Cup |
2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup |
The FIFA U-17 World Cup, founded as the FIFA U-16 World Championship, later changed to its current name in 2007, is the world championship of association football for male players under the age of 17 organized by Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).
The FIFA U-17 World Championship is a competition that was inspired by the Lion City Cup that was created by the Football Association of Singapore in 1977. The Lion City Cup is the first under-16 football tournament in the world. Following FIFA's then secretary-general Joe Blatter's recommendation after he was in Singapore for the 1982 Lion City Cup, FIFA created the FIFA U-16 World Championship.
The first edition was staged in 1985 in China, and tournaments have been played every two years since then. It began as a competition for players under the age of 16 with the age limit raised to 17 from the 1991 edition onwards. The most recent tournament was hosted by Chile and won by Nigeria, with the next edition being hosted by India in 2017.
Nigeria is the most successful nation in the tournament's history, with five titles and three runners up. Brazil is the second-most successful with three titles and two runners-up. Ghana and Mexico have won the tournament twice.
A corresponding tournament for female players, the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, began in 2008, with North Korea winning the inaugural tournament.