“Legends in the Making” - The U20 World Cup Gets Underway
by Joseph King | by Joseph King
U20 World Cup kicks off on Saturday
The FIFA U20 World Cup is considered “the tournament of tomorrow’s superstars” and for good reason. A number of high-profile players have starred in this competition and then went on to become some of the world’s very best. Names such as Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi have graced this tournament and, more recently, Erling Haaland. The Man City striker was even the top goalscorer in the 2019 edition, despite his Norway team not even making it out of the group stage! The group stage kicks off with four matches on Saturday. You can find more detailed analysis and in-depth stats for those matches along with other leagues in our football predictions!
U20 World Cup fast facts
- Host nation: Chile
- Dates: 27 September - 19 October
- Defending champions: Uruguay
- Slogan: “Legends in the making”
- Competing teams: 24 divided into 6 groups
- Group qualification: top 2 teams from each group and four best 3rd-placed teams
This competition has historically been dominated by the two South American superpowers: Argentina and Brazil. La Albiceleste have a record six U20 World Cup titles to their name while Brazil are right behind them in second with five titles. With this year’s tournament now taking place on the continent, will anybody be able to stand up to South America’s dominance?
Check out the full group draw below:
| Group | Teams |
|---|---|
| Group A |
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Group B |
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| Group C |
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| Group D |
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| Group E |
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| Group F |
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Who are the favourites and where is England?
There are a number of high-profile absences in this year’s U20 World Cup. Chief among them: England and Uruguay. For England, it’s another disappointing result at this level. After being crowned U20 world champions in 2017, the future for England U20 football was looking bright. However, they now miss out on the tournament for the second time in the last three attempts.
In the case of Uruguay, they won’t have the opportunity to defend their crown after finishing fifth in the CONMEBOL qualification table.
The last eight winners of the U20 World Cup have subsequently failed to qualify for the next edition.
It’s a shocking statistic, but one that speaks greatly to the amount of variance and volatility this tournament produces. Such is the nature of football at this level, with players only having a short window to participate in the U20 category.
There are a few teams considered to be the top contenders for the 2025 U20 World Cup title. The two South American giants, Brazil and Argentina, are among them and could have something of a home-field advantage, as many of the players for both nations will be accustomed to playing matches in Chile. France and Spain are also in the group of top contenders while teams like Colombia and Mexico could be dangerous dark horses.
Who are the players to watch?
Pedrinho - Brazil / Zenit
A popular choice to win the Golden Ball is Pedrinho, who has been a key member of Russian giants Zenit St. Petersburg since making the switch to Europe in 2023. He operates on the left wing, where he is able to cut in on his favoured right foot and dribble at his man or provide a defence-splitting pass. He racked up two goals and six assists in nine U20 World Cup qualifying matches.
Gilberto Mora - Mexico / Club Tijuana
A player with an incredible level of hype not just in Mexico, but in world football; 16-year-old Gilberto Mora is reportedly attracting interest from some of the world’s biggest clubs. Mora made his Liga MX debut at just 15 and made three appearances for the senior national team in their title-winning Gold Cup run back in July of this year. He’ll be the heartbeat of a Mexican side that will be competing with Brazil, Spain and Morocco in the group of death.
Neiser Villarreal - Colombia / Millonarios
The Millonarios player finished as the top scorer of the qualifying stage, totaling eight goals while chipping in with four assists in just nine games. This helped earn him a move to Brazilian Serie A title contenders Cruzeiro which will go through in December.
Maher Carrizo - Argentina / Velez
With five goals and three assists in his nine matches in the U20 World Cup qualifying campaign, Carrizo is a real contender to win the Golden Ball in Chile. Without the presence of Claudio Echeverria and Franco Mastantuono, The 19-year-old from Velez is going to shoulder the majority of the attacking load for title-hopefuls Argentina.
