The final of the U-17 Women’s World Cup will be held on October 30 at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, with the semi-finals taking place in Goa, FIFA and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) announced on Wednesday. Beginning on October 11, Bhubaneswar will host India’s three group stage matches. On June 24th, the formal draw will take place. The 24 group stage games will end on October 18 and will be split between the three host states of Odisha, Goa, and Maharashtra. The games in the quarter-final round will be place on October 21 and 22, followed by the semi-finals on October 26. India will compete in all three group stage games at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on October 11.14 and 17.
Meanwhile, the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai and the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda will equally share the four quarterfinal games. LOC Project Directors, Ankush Arora and Nandini Arora, in a joint statement, said, “We are extremely grateful to FIFA, our host states and all other stakeholders for their continued support in the aligned vision of uplifting women’s football.”
“The launch of the schedule is a significant moment on the road to the historic tournament. The preparations for hosting India’s second FIFA competition are progressing as per timelines and we remain confident of delivering a highly successful tournament, one which will provide a platform for future stars of women’s football to shine.”
The victor of the seventh edition of the biennial youth tournament will be determined by a total of 32 games played by 16 teams over ten matchdays, with each site holding double headers on each matchday. The LOC’s legacy effort, the Coach Education Scholarship Programme, has equipped the Indian footballing ecosystem with 162 female coaches at the grassroots level, promoting women in leadership. In the run-up to the 11th October kick-off, more editions of both the coaching programme and the football carnival are scheduled.
