FIFA expands U-17 Women’s World Cup, Morocco named host from 2025 to 2029

By Oyediji Oluwaseun Babatunde

In a significant move aimed at boosting women’s football, FIFA has announced the expansion of the U-17 Women’s World Cup from 16 to 24 teams.

Alongside this expansion, a new format will be introduced for the tournament, which will now be held annually instead of once every two years.

Furthermore, FIFA revealed that Morocco has been selected as the host country for the next five editions of the tournament, spanning from 2025 to 2029.

This decision underscores FIFA’s commitment to promoting women’s football in Africa and providing more opportunities for young female players to showcase their talent on the global stage.

Meanwhile, the Africa Qualifiers for the 2024 edition of the U-17 Women’s World Cup are currently in the third and penultimate round. Nigeria’s U-17 women’s team, the Flamingos, are set to face Burkina Faso in the deciding round of the qualifiers.

Notably, the Flamingos secured a bronze medal during the last edition of the tournament held in India, marking their best performance to date. This achievement also matched Ghana’s historic bronze medal win in a previous edition, highlighting Africa’s growing presence and competitiveness in youth women’s football.

Under the guidance of coach Bankole Olowookere, the Flamingos will be aiming to replicate or even surpass their previous success as they strive to qualify for the upcoming U-17 Women’s World Cup in the new expanded format.