The FIFA Council has officially confirmed the match schedule for the next edition of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, with the tournament set to take place in Morocco from October 17 to November 7, 2026.
The decision was ratified during the Council’s meeting in Zurich, reinforcing Morocco’s growing status as a major host of international football competitions following recent successful continental and global events.
In March 2024, Morocco had been announced as the 2025–2029 Women’s U-17 World Cups host country following the FIFA Council meeting in Zurich, Switzerland.[
The tournament will bring together the world’s best emerging female football talents, offering a key developmental platform for future senior internationals while further strengthening women’s football pathways across all confederations.
Morocco’s hosting is expected to accelerate investment in women’s football infrastructure across the region and provide African teams with a valuable opportunity to compete on home soil against elite global opposition.
The FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup has historically served as a launching pad for many stars of the senior women’s game, and the 2026 edition is anticipated to continue that tradition while showcasing the rapid growth of youth women’s football worldwide.
North Korea are the defending champions, having won a record fourth title in 2025.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
