98,943
A tournament-record 98,943 fans packed into the iconic Estadio Azteca Mexico City for the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup™ final between Uruguay and Mexico. The home crowd left happy following a 2-0 win for El Tri, which secured the nation’s second title.
183
The most goals ever witnessed at an U-17 world finals was during the 2017 edition, when 183 strikes found the net during a pulsating tournament.
94
No nation has played in more than Brazil’s 94 matches at the finals. A run to the quarter-finals in Qatar would see them become the first to reach a century.
48
Qatar 2025 will be the first-ever FIFA World Cup to host 48 nations. Five of those are tournament debutants, with El Salvador, Fiji, the Republic of Ireland and Zambia set to take part for the first time, while it’s Uganda’s maiden FIFA tournament.
26
On their way to a fourth title in 2013, Nigeria hit a record 26 goals. Kelechi Iheanacho netted and assisted six apiece on his way to winning the adidas Golden Ball.
18
Nigeria have scored in each of the previous 18 matches at the U-17 World Cup. If they add five more to that tally in Qatar they will surpass Ghana’s record of 22 matches, set between 1997 and 2017.
13
The largest victory ever recorded at the tournament was Spain’s 13-0 hammering of New Zealand in 1997, in which David Rodriguez-Fraile became the first player to net four times in a single U-17 finals match. To this day, it remains the biggest win at an 11-a-side men’s World Cup at any level.
12
At 12 years and 291 days, Nigerian Peter Ogaba became the youngest player to make an appearance at these finals when he played against hosts Soviet Union at the 1987 edition. Two years later, he became the youngest appearance-maker in FIFA U-20 World Cup™ history at 14 years and 151 days.
10
Nigerian ace Victor Osimhen netted a record ten goals at the 2015 edition – the most by a single player at any U-17 World Cup.
9
The fastest goal in the tournament’s history came in Brazil’s 2007 clash against New Zealand, when Fabinho found the net after just nine seconds.
7
Switzerland are enjoying the current longest winning run at the U-17 World Cup with seven straight victories. Remarkably, each of those matches came at Nigeria 2009, where the Nati won the title at the first time of asking. They’ll return to the finals for the first time in Qatar knowing an opening-day victory over Côte d’Ivoire would equal Brazil’s record of eight consecutive wins from 2017 to 2023.
The highest-scoring final saw seven goals split between England and Spain in 2017, as the rampant Young Lions ran out 5-2 winners in Kolkata.
5
Nigeria lead the way on titles won, having scooped five U-17 World Cup crowns. Those triumphs came in 1985, 1993, 2003, 2007 and 2015.
4
Spain hold the unwanted record of reaching the decider four times without lifting the trophy. They have fallen to defeat at the final hurdle in 1991, 2003, 2007 and 2017.
3
In total, three foreign coaches have lifted the title. Brazilian Ivo Wortmann was the first to achieve it with Saudi Arabia in 1989, before Ghana were led to glory by German Otto Pfister two years later. Some 26 years passed before Steve Cooper, who comes from Wales, took England to the title at India 2017.
2
The only coach to win the tournament on more than one occasion is Carlos Cesar. The Brazilian lifted the trophy with his home nation in back-to-back tournaments in 1997 and 1999.
1
Quillan Roberts became the first goalkeeper to net at a FIFA football tournament when he scored for Canada against England at Mexico 2011. The shot-stopper – who travelled to the tournament as second choice but was thrust into the spotlight following an injury to Maxime Crepeau – inched the ball forward from inside his own box before unleashing a monster kick which whipped off the surface and beyond the despairing dive of opposite number Jordan Pickford to rescue a 2-2 draw.
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