FIFA U20 World Cup Ready For Kick Off
|
The FIFA Under-20 World Cup kicks-off on Thursday as hosts Egypt tackle Trinidad & Tobago at the Egyptian Army Stadium in Alexandria.
It is the third time the tournament will be played on the African continent after Tunisia hosted the very first event in 1977 and Nigeria successfully staged the 1999 competition, which was won by a Spanish side who have gone on to become European champions and one of the top sides in world football.
Xavi and Iker Casillas are just two of the young Spaniards from that side who have gone on to become among the greatest players in the world, and therein lies the fascination with the Under-20 World Cup, the fact that you are watching the great players of tomorrow.
A young Diego Maradona played in the 1979 tournament in Japan and showed his promise by winning the Golden Boot award, the trophy for the most outstanding player on show at the event.
Nigeria lost the 1989 and 2005 finals to Portugal (0-2) and Argentina (1-2) respectively, while Ghana reached the finals of the 1993 and 2001 event, only to lose to Brazil (1-2) and Argentina (0-3).
The tournament has traditionally been dominated by the South American sides, with Argentina winners on six occasions and Brazil, meaning together they have claimed 10 of the 16 competitions to date, a massively impressive record.
Indeed, only the Spanish (1999) have broken the winning run of the South American duo that dates back to 1991.
The 2009 tournament will be played in five cities, with seven stadia in total. Cairo will use the Cairo International and Al Salam Stadium, while the Mubarak Stadium in Suez is also a venue.The Ismailia Stadium will represent that city, while the Port Said Stadium is the venue in the coastal town. Finally, there are two venues in Alexandria, the Alexandria Stadium and the Egyptian Army Stadium.
| African Record In FIFA U20 World Cup Tournaments | |||
|
Year |
Host Country | Country | Stage Reached |
|
1977 |
Tunisia | Tunisia | First Round |
| Morocco | First Round | ||
| Côte d'Ivoire | First Round | ||
|
1979 |
Japan | Algeria | Quarterfinals |
| Guinea | First Round | ||
|
1981 |
Australia | Egypt | Quarterfinals |
| Cameroon | First Round | ||
|
1983 |
Mexico | Côte d'Ivoire | First Round |
| Nigeria | First Round | ||
|
1985 |
USSR | Tunisia | First Round |
| Nigeria | Semifinals | ||
|
1987 |
Chile | Togo | First Round |
| Nigeria | First Round | ||
|
1989 |
Saudi Arabia | Nigeria | Runners-up |
| Mali | First Round | ||
|
1991 |
Portugal | Côte d'Ivoire | First Round |
| Egypt | First Round | ||
|
1993 |
Australia | Cameroon | First Round |
| Ghana | Runners-up | ||
|
1995 |
Qatar | Burundi | First Round |
| Cameroon | Quarterfinals | ||
|
1997 |
Malaysia | Morocco | Second Round |
| South Africa | First Round | ||
| Ghana | Semifinals | ||
| Côte d'Ivoire | First Round | ||
|
1999 |
Nigeria | Nigeria | Quarterfinals |
| Ghana | Quarterfinals | ||
| Mali | Semifnals | ||
| Cameroon | Second Round | ||
|
2001 |
Argentina | Egypt | Semifinals |
| Angola | Second Round | ||
| Ethiopia | First Round | ||
| Ghana | Runners-up | ||
|
2003 |
UEA | Burkina Faso | Second Round |
| Mali | First Round | ||
| Egypt | Second Round | ||
| Côte d'Ivoire | Second Round | ||
|
2005 |
Netherlands | Benin | First Round |
| Morocco | Semifinals | ||
| Egypt | First Round | ||
| Nigeria | Runners-up | ||
|
2007 |
Canada | Congo-Brazzaville | Second Round |
| Zambia | Second Round | ||
| Gambia | Second Round | ||
| Nigeria | Quarterfinals | ||
Tournament Winners
Argentina are the undisputed kings of the FIFA Under-20 World Cup having claimed six titles, including the last in 2007.
| Team | Titles | Runners Up |
| Argentina | 6 (1979, 1995, 1997, 20011, 2005, 2007) | 1 (1983) |
| Brazil | 4 (1983, 1985, 1993, 2003) | 2 (1991, 1995) |
| Portugal | 2 (1989, 1991) | |
| Spain | 1 (1999) | 2 (1985, 2003) |
| USSR | 1 (1977) | 1 (1979) |
| Germany | 1 (1981) | 1 (1987) |
| Yugoslavia | 1 (1987) | |
| Nigeria | 2 (1989, 2005) | |
| Ghana | 2 (1993, 2001) | |
| Uruguay | 1 (1997) | |
| Czech Republic | 1 (2007) | |
| Japan | 1 (1999) | |
| Mexico | 1 (1977) | |
| Qatar | 1 (1981) |
Golden Ball
The Golden Ball Award is given to the most outstanding player at the tournamenr and previous winners include the likes of Diego Maradona, Adriano, Seydou Keita and Lionel Messi.
| Tournament | Winner | Country | |
|
1977 |
Tunisia | Volodymyr Bessonov | USSR |
|
1979 |
Japan | Diego Maradona | Argentina |
|
1981 |
Australia | Romulus Gabor | Romania |
|
1983 |
Mexico | Geovani | Brazil |
|
1985 |
USSR | Paulo Silas | Brazil |
|
1987 |
Chile | Robert Prosinečki | Croatia |
|
1989 |
Saudi Arabia | Bismarck | Brazil |
|
1991 |
Portugal | Emílio Peixe | Portugal |
|
1993 |
Australia | Adriano | Brazil |
|
1995 |
Qatar | Caio | Brazil |
|
1997 |
Malaysia | Andrés Nicolás Olivera | Uruguay |
|
1999 |
Nigeria | Seydou Keita | Mali |
|
2001 |
Argentina | Javier Saviola | Argentina |
|
2003 |
UAE | Emirates Ismail Matar | UAE |
|
2005 |
Netherlands | Lionel Messi | Argentina |
|
2007 |
Canada | Sergio Agüero | Argentina |
