2021 WAFF U-18 Championship, also called 2021 EarthLink WAFF U-18 Championship due to sponsorship by EarthLink Telecommunications, was the second edition of the West Asian Football Federation (WAFF)'s under-18 championship.[1] It took place between 20 November and 1 December 2021 in Iraq.[2]
| بطولة غرب آسيا لكرة القدم تحت 18 عاما | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | Iraq |
| City | Baghdad (Final match) Basra (Group A) Erbil (Group B) |
| Dates | 20 November – 1 December |
| Teams | 9 (from 1 sub-confederation) |
| Venue(s) | 3 (in 3 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Iraq (2nd title) |
| Runners-up |  Lebanon |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 17 |
| Goals scored | 32 (1.88 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Asahr Ali (3 goals) |
| Best player(s) | Ali El Fadl |
| Best goalkeeper | Hussein Amoyed |
The tournament featured nine teams divided into a two groups of four and five.[3] Hosts Iraq won the tournament, beating Lebanon on penalty shoot-outs in the final.[4]
Teams edit
Participants edit
| Team | Appearance | Last appearance | Previous best performance |
|---|---|---|---|
 Bahrain
|
2nd | 2019 | Group stage (2019) |
| Iraq
|
2nd | 2019 | Champions (2019) |
 Jordan
|
2nd | 2019 | Third place (2019) |
 Kuwait
|
1st | — | — |
| Lebanon
|
1st | — | — |
 Palestine
|
2nd | 2019 | Fourth place (2019) |
 Syria
|
1st | — | — |
 United Arab Emirates
|
2nd | 2019 | Runners-up (2019) |
 Yemen
|
1st | — | — |
Format edit
Two groups of nine teams; the host country Iraq were in Group A, which contained five teams, while Group B contained four teams. Unlike the previous edition, only the group winners advance directly to the final.
Squads edit
A total of nine teams played in the tournament, with players born on or after 1 January 2003 eligible to participate. Each team had to register a squad of up to 23 players, three of whom must be goalkeepers.
Officials edit
Venue edit
| Basra | Baghdad | Erbil | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basra International Stadium | Al-Madina Stadium | Franso Hariri Stadium | |
| Capacity: 65,227 | Capacity: 32,000 | Capacity: 25,000 | |
Groups stage edit
Group A edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iraq (H)
|
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 1 | +8 | 9 | Advance to the final |
| 2 | Kuwait
|
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 7 | |
| 3 | Yemen
|
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | −2 | 6 | |
| 4 | Bahrain
|
4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | −4 | 4 | |
| 5 | Palestine
|
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 3 |
| Yemen | 0–2 | Palestine |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Palestine | 1–2 | Kuwait |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Group B edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lebanon
|
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 7 | Advance to the final |
| 2 | Jordan
|
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 6 | |
| 3 | Syria
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 3 | |
| 4 | United Arab Emirates
|
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | −3 | 1 |
| United Arab Emirates | 0–2 | Jordan |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Syria | 1–0 | United Arab Emirates |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Final edit
Champion edit
| 2021 WAFF U-18 Championship champion |
|---|
 Iraq Second title |
Player awards edit
The following awards were given at the conclusion of the tournament:
| Top Goalscorer | Best player | Best Goalkeeper |
|---|---|---|
| Ashar Ali
|
Ali El Fadl
|
Hussein Hassan
|
Goalscorers edit
There were 32 goals scored in 17 matches, for an average of 1.88 goals per match.
3 goals
2 goals
1 goal
1 own goal
Nawaf Al-Ayassi (against Syria)
References edit
- ^ "اتحاد غرب آسيا يثبت تفاصيل أربع بطولات من قائمة أجندة ٢٠٢١". 1 July 2021. Archived from the original on 19 January 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
- ^ "أربيل تضيّف شباب غرب آسيا وسعيد يكشف أجندة الاتحاد". 5 July 2021. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
- ^ "إعلان موعد قرعة بطولة غرب آسيا للشباب". 27 October 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
- ^ "المنتخب العراقي يتوج بالذهب ببطولة ايرثلنك للشباب". 3 December 2021. Archived from the original on 19 January 2023. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
- ^ "منتخب شباب اليمن يصعق العراق في لقاء جماهيري بغرب آسيا". almalaeb.net. 26 November 2021. Archived from the original on 19 January 2023. Retrieved 28 November 2021.