Qatar to host FIFA Under-17 World Cup 2026 in November–December

Qatar will host the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in November and December, the sport’s global governing body and local organisers have announced.

The tournament will take place from 19 November to 13 December in the FIFA World Cup 2022 host nation and will be contested by 48 teams, a statement by the local organising committee in Qatar said on Wednesday.

It will mark the Gulf nation’s second year of hosting the U-17 competition, which will be held in Qatar annually until 2029.

The draw for the tournament will be held on May 21 in Zurich, Switzerland.

Matches will be held at the football pitches in Aspire Zone – a sporting complex located in Qatar’s capital Doha, which also houses the Khalifa International Stadium.

Local organisers said more than 197,460 spectators attended the 2025 tournament across 104 matches over 15 match days.

The 2025 edition served as a launchpad for emerging footballers, including Egypt’s Hamza Abdelkarim, Mali’s Seydou Dembele, Belgium’s Jesse Bisiwu and Nathan De Cat, and Italy’s Samuele Inacio.

The final will be played at the Khalifa International Stadium, where Portugal were crowned champions in 2025.

The announcement comes a month after Qatar’s hosting of the “Finalissima” match between Spain ‌‌and Argentina, scheduled for March, was cancelled due ⁠⁠to the war in the Middle East.

The contest between the European champions Spain and Copa America winners Argentina was ⁠⁠scheduled for March 27 at Lusail Stadium, where fans would have had the opportunity to watch Lionel Messi go head-to-head with Lamine Yamal.

The Spain vs Argentina game was part of the Qatar Football Festival. The five-day festival also included Egypt vs Saudi Arabia and Qatar vs Serbia on March 26, Egypt vs Spain and Saudi Arabia vs Serbia on March 30 and Qatar vs Argentina on March 31.