Hosts Qatar out as favourites Brazil, Portugal and France qualify for U17 World Cup knockout rounds

Hosts Qatar have failed to progress to the knockout phase of the U-17 World Cup on home soil, but European champions Portugal, South American champions Brazil and world champions Germany remain in the race for the title. 

After 72 matches in the group stages, the field at the first-ever 48-team U-17 World Cup has been whittled down to 32 teams. On Friday, the round of 32 will kick off, with the matches determined by the teams’ rankings in the group phase.

European champions Portugal will play Belgium. The Portuguese hammered New Caledonia 6-1 and Morocco 6-0 in the group phase, while Belgium registered a 7-0 win against Fiji. In the round of 16, the winner will take on Argentina or Mexico.

The Belgians lost 3-2 in the group phase against Argentina, but can count on the reinforcements of Nathan De Cat, Jorthy Mokio and Mohammed El Adfaoui, who joined the squad in Doha after the group phase.

South American champions Brazil take on Paraguay. The winners will meet France or Colombia, the second-best teams in their respective confederations. The French lost the U-17 European Championship final against Portugal 3-0, while Colombia succumbed to Brazil 4-1 in the U-17 South American final.

On the other side of the draw, England face South Korea in the second round. The winner will play Austria or Tunisia for a spot in the last eight. Defending champions Germany play Burkina Faso and Italy take on the Czech Republic in an all-European affair.

Hosts Qatar did not make it out of the group stages after draws against South Africa and Bolivia did not make up for an opening 1-0 defeat to Italy. Neighbours Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates also failed to reach the last 32. Qatar will also stage the next four editions of the tournament. The U-17 World Cup concludes with the final on November 24 at the Khalifa International Stadium.

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