'We played since childhood in U-15, U-17. It felt like we carried on from where we left off.'
A self-confessed football fan, Sourav Ganguly hoped Indian football would get a huge boost by hosting the Under-17 World Cup in 2017.
A dominant Brazil made a strong statement of their top title contender status with a 2-1 victory over Spain in a Group D marquee clash of the FIFA U-17 World Cup, in Kochi, on Saturday.
Legendary footballers Esteban Cambiasso and Nwankwo Kanu along with Indian sporting icons Sunil Chhetri and P V Sindhu will attend the official draw for the FIFA Under-17 World Cup to be held in India later this year.
FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup 2021 scheduled to take place on 11-30 October 2022 will be held in India as planned.
It would be unfair to expect India to bedazzle crowds with eye-catching football. This team is built around stability, writes Dhruv Munjal
United States of America secured their passage into the round of 16 riding on substitute Ayo Akinola's 75-minute strike for a 1-0 victory over Ghana in an enthralling Group A game of the FIFA U-17 World Cup in New Delhi.
Chile U-17 side is yet to come to terms with Kolkata's searing heat and humidity, which could pose a problem during their upcoming World Cup campaign.
Both the teams have won their respective opening matches with Germany getting past Costa Rica 2-1 and Iran beating Guinea 3-1 last Saturday.
Three days ahead of India's formal bid for the Under-17 Football World Cup in 2017, the AIFF received a shot in the arm as the central government gave its approval for hosting the prestigious event.
European champions Spain staved off a battling Mali to emerge 3-1 winners in a rip-roaring, action-packed semi-final contest to enter the summit clash of the FIFA U-17 World Cup at the D Y Patil Stadium, in Mumbai, on Wednesday.
India midfielder Amarjit Singh Kiyam may have come a long way in the world of football over the last three years, but when he is back home on the outskirts of Imphal, Manipur with his parents and siblings, the youngster is still a man who likes to stay connected to his roots.
The path found by champions like GR Viswanath, Syed Kirmani, Brijesh Patel, EAS Prasanna and BS Chandrasekhar has only broadened over the years through which several ace cricketers walked through.
The marquee tournament starts October 6, and the Manipuri boy is excited to be a part of India's first-ever World Cup team.
England beat Spain 5-2 to win FIFA U-17 World Cup
No praise is enough for Ravichandran Ashwin, said India captain Rohit Sharma on Wednesday as he lauded the senior off-spinner ahead of his 100 Tests, calling him a "rare" talent who has contributed consistently to the team's success.
The women's age group showpiece was to be held at five venues in the country --Kolkata, Guwahati, Bhubaneswar, Ahmedabad and Navi Mumbai -- from November 2-21. FIFA Under-17 Women's World Cup was postponed by football's governing body due to the worsening COVID-19 pandemic across the globe.
Unheralded New Zealand will have a tough job at hand when take on Turkey in the FIFA U-17 World Cup Group B opening match at the D Y Patil Stadium in Mumbai on Friday.
The four semi-finalists from the AFC U-16 Championship qualify for the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup to be held in Peru. India had taken part in the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup by virtue of being the host team.
Named in the Brazil squad for the upcoming FIFA Under-17 World Cup, wonderkid Vinicius Junior is set to become the most expensive footballer ever to play in a competitive tournament in India.
The catch here is that one has to buy the season tickets to get the discount of "about 60 per cent".
'We will be starting with the U17 league first, followed by the U15 and U13. There will be spotters in most of the games of U13 leagues, to identify talents.'
India's FIFA U-17 World Cup team coach Luis Norton de Matos on Saturday refused to predict his side's chances in the upcoming tournament, saying that instead of thinking about the results the country should take it as "a first step for the future".
In the country's maiden appearance in any World Cup, India showed sparks in patches, but lagged way behind in class.
Brazil made a strong statement with a 2-1 victory over Spain in their opening Group D clash on October 7, and they would now look to build on the winning momentum.
India were on Friday drawn with two-time champions Ghana, United States and Colombia in a tough Group A of the FIFA Under 17 World Cup.
Striker Keito Nakamura scored the ongoing FIFA U-17 World Cup's first hat-trick as Japan hammered Honduras 6-1 to begin their campaign on a resounding note at the Indira Gandhi International Stadium in Guwahati on Sunday.
Rhian Brewster struck a sensational hat-trick, his second in as many matches, as England handed pre-tournament favourites Brazil a stunning 3-1 defeat to cruise into their maiden FIFA U-17 World Cup final, in Kolkata, on Wednesday.
India's senior team goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, on Thursday, said the country needs to "make the most" of the opportunity to host the FIFA U-17 World Cup.
De Matos was appointed head coach in March this year and in a short span of time, he has tried to build a team ready to fight the best.
Fancied France kicked off their campaign on a rousing note, inflicting a 7-1 humiliation on debutants New Caledonia in a Group E match of the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Guwahati.
An alumni of the prestigious Cornell University and a senior techie (coder) at Oracle, Netravalkar juggled academics and cricket with aplomb.
In one of the most endearing messages for the India U-17 squad, senior team skipper Sunil Chhetri on Thursday sought "forgiveness for being jealous" of the likes of Amarjit Singh and Co, who are set to be part of India's first ever World Cup squad.
After taking on Vitoria de Setubal at Troia, the team will cross swords against leading Portuguese club sides Belenenses, Benfica, Estoril and Sporting Club Portugal.
Legendary coach Arsene Wenger on Tuesday committed himself to "digging out talent" in India and place the country on world football map.
The FIFA's inspection team on Wednesday sounded fairly satisfied over the progress at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi, one of the venues for the Under-17 World Cup, but urged authorities to speed up work on core areas like competition and training sites.
European champions Spain will enter their final group match against DPR Korea as the firm favourites, looking to secure a Round of 16 berth in the FIFA U-17 World Cup, in Kochi, on Friday.
Kolkata will host the summit clash of the U-17 World Cup football on October 28 while Navi Mumbai and Guwahati were chosen to stage the semi-finals.
The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi on Wednesday became the first Indian city to be officially declared as one of the venues for hosting the 2017 FIFA Under-17 World Cup after it received a green signal from a high-level delegation of football's world body.
Having won all their three group matches with ease, South American giants Brazil will start clear favourites when they take on the unfancied Honduras in a pre-quarterfinal match of the FIFA U-17 World Cup, in Honduras.
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