The FIFA U-20 World Cup is the biennial football world championship tournament for FIFA members’ men's national teams with players under the age of 20. The competition has been staged every two years since the inaugural tournament in 1977 when it was hosted by Tunisia[1] under the tournament name of FIFA World Youth Championship until 2005.[2] In 2007 the name was changed to its present form. FIFA bills the men's Under-20 World Cup as "the tournament of tomorrow's superstars."[3] Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi and Paul Pogba are previous winners of the official player of the tournament award, and Erling Haaland was the top scorer at the 2019 edition. The current title holder is Uruguay, which won its first title at the 2023 tournament in Argentina.
 The trophy awarded since 2013 | |
| Organising body | FIFA |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1977 |
| Region | Worldwide |
| Number of teams | 24 (finals) |
| Related competitions | FIFA World Cup |
| Current champions |  Uruguay (1st title) |
| Most successful team(s) |  Argentina (6 titles) |
| Website | FIFA U-20 World Cup |
 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup | |
History edit
In the twenty-three editions of the tournament held, twelve nations have won the title. Argentina U20 is the most successful team with six titles, followed by Brazil U20 with five titles. Portugal U20 and Serbia U20 have both won two titles (with the latter winning once as Yugoslavia U20), while Ghana U20, Germany U20, Spain U20, France U20, England U20, Ukraine U20, Russia U20 (as the USSR U20) and Uruguay U20 have won the title once each.[citation needed]
A corresponding event for women's teams, the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, began in 2002 with the name "FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship" and an age limit of 19. The age limit for the women's competition was changed to 20 beginning with the 2006 FIFA U-20 Women's World Championship, and the competition was renamed as a "World Cup" in 2007 in preparation for the 2008 event. The next edition is planned to be held in 2025 in Chile.
Qualification edit
24 national teams appear in the final tournament. 23 countries, including the defending champion, have to qualify in the youth championships of the six confederations. The host country automatically qualifies.
Results edit
- 1977–2005: "FIFA World Youth Championship"
- 2007–present: "FIFA U-20 World Cup"
- a.e.t.: after extra time
- p: match won on penalties
Teams reaching the top four edit
| Team | Titles | Runners-up | Third place | Fourth place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina
|
6 (1979, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2005, 2007) | 1 (1983) | 1 (2003) | |
 Brazil
|
5 (1983, 1985, 1993, 2003, 2011) | 4 (1991, 1995, 2009, 2015) | 3 (1977, 1989, 2005) | |
 Portugal
|
2 (1989, 1991) | 1 (2011) | 1 (1995) | |
 Serbia1
|
2 (1987, 2015) | |||
| Uruguay
|
1 (2023) | 2 (1997, 2013) | 1 (1979) | 3 (1977, 1999, 2017) |
 Ghana
|
1 (2009) | 2 (1993, 2001) | 1 (2013) | 1 (1997) |
 Spain
|
1 (1999) | 2 (1985, 2003) | 1 (1995) | |
 Russia2
|
1 (1977) | 1 (1979) | 1 (1991) | 1 (1985) |
 Germany3
|
1 (1981) | 1 (1987) | ||
 England
|
1 (2017) | 1 (1993) | 1 (1981) | |
 France
|
1 (2013) | 1 (2011) | ||
 Ukraine
|
1 (2019) | |||
 Nigeria
|
2 (1989, 2005) | 1 (1985) | ||
 Italy
|
1 (2023) | 1 (2017) | 1 (2019) | |
 Mexico
|
1 (1977) | 1 (2011) | ||
 South Korea
|
1 (2019) | 2 (1983, 2023) | ||
 Qatar
|
1 (1981) | |||
 Japan
|
1 (1999) | |||
 Czech Republic
|
1 (2007) | |||
 Venezuela
|
1 (2017) | |||
 Mali
|
2 (1999, 2015) | |||
 Poland
|
1 (1983) | 1 (1979) | ||
 Chile
|
1 (2007) | 1 (1987) | ||
 Romania
|
1 (1981) | |||
 East Germany
|
1 (1987) | |||
 Republic of Ireland
|
1 (1997) | |||
 Egypt
|
1 (2001) | |||
 Colombia
|
1 (2003) | |||
 Hungary
|
1 (2009) | |||
 Ecuador
|
1 (2019) | |||
 Israel
|
1 (2023) | |||
 Australia
|
2 (1991, 1993) | |||
 United States
|
1 (1989) | |||
 Paraguay
|
1 (2001) | |||
 Morocco
|
1 (2005) | |||
 Austria
|
1 (2007) | |||
 Costa Rica
|
1 (2009) | |||
 Iraq
|
1 (2013) | |||
 Senegal
|
1 (2015) |
- 1 = includes results representing Yugoslavia
- 2 = includes results representing USSR
- 3 = includes results representing West Germany
Performances by continental zones (as of 2023) edit
All continental confederations except for the OFC (Oceania) have made an appearance in the final match of the tournament. To date, CONMEBOL (South America) leads with twelve titles, followed by UEFA (Europe) with ten titles and CAF (Africa) with one title. Teams from the AFC (Asia) and CONCACAF (North America, Central America, Caribbean) have made the tournament final four times, but were defeated by strong UEFA sides. No current OFC member has ever made the semifinals; Australia reached the semifinals as an OFC member in 1991 and 1993, finishing fourth on both occasions, before the country joined the AFC in 2006.
| Confederation (continent) | Performances | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winners | Runners-up | Third | Fourth | |
| CONMEBOL (South America) | 12 titles: Argentina (6), Brazil (5), Uruguay (1) | 8 times: Brazil (4), Uruguay (2), Argentina (1), Venezuela (1) | 7 times: Brazil (3), Chile (1), Colombia (1), Ecuador (1), Uruguay (1) | 6 times: Uruguay (3), Argentina (1), Chile (1), Paraguay (1) |
| UEFA (Europe) | 10 titles: Portugal (2), Serbia1 (2), England (1), France (1), West Germany (1), Spain (1), Ukraine (1), USSR (1) | 7 times: Spain (2), Czech Republic (1), West Germany (1), Italy (1), Portugal (1), USSR (1) | 10 times: England (1), East Germany (1), Hungary (1), Rep. of Ireland (1), Israel (1), Italy (1), Poland (1), Portugal (1), Romania (1), USSR (1) | 7 times: Austria (1), England (1), France (1), Italy (1), Poland (1), Spain (1), USSR (1) |
| CAF (Africa) | 1 title: Ghana (1) | 4 times: Ghana (2), Nigeria (2) | 5 times: Mali (2), Egypt (1), Ghana (1), Nigeria (1) | 3 times: Ghana (1), Morocco (1), Senegal (1) |
| AFC (Asia) | None | 3 times: Japan (1), Qatar (1), South Korea (1) | None | 3 times: South Korea (2), Iraq (1) |
| CONCACAF (North, Central America and Caribbean) | None | 1 time: Mexico (1) | 1 time: Mexico (1) | 2 times: Costa Rica (1), United States (1) |
| OFC (Oceania) | None | None | None | 2 times: Australia2 (2) |
Awards edit
The following awards are now presented:
- The Golden Ball is awarded to the most valuable player of the tournament;
- The Golden Boot is awarded to the top goalscorer of the tournament;
- The Golden Glove is awarded to the most valuable goalkeeper of the tournament;
- The FIFA Fair Play Trophy is presented to the team with the best disciplinary record in the tournament.
See also edit
References edit
- ^ CBC.ca Archived 22 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Tolmich, Ryan (18 May 2023). "Lionel Messi, Diego Maradona, Erling Haaland and the superstars who have dominated the U20 World Cup". Goal.
- ^ "Indonesia stripped of hosting Under-20 World Cup by FIFA". Associated Press News. 29 March 2023. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
External links edit
- Official website
(in English) - Tournament archive at Fifa.com (in English)
- World Youth Cup (U-20) Overview at the RSSSF (in English)
