Each edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup™ carries with it the hopes of an entire generation of up-and-coming starlets. The enduring narratives surrounding every tournament stand as testament to its importance. At the heart of those stories are the coaches, one of whom is Chilean Nicolas Cordova. Once a player chasing big dreams, he is now a mentor who is helping others to make theirs come true.
Cordova’s playing career began in his homeland with domestic heavyweights Colo-Colo before he landed a move to Italy, where he plied his trade for over a decade until he hung up his boots in 2012. Having featured for the U-20 national team and been capped by the senior side, the former midfield maestro understands exactly what it means to pull on the Chile shirt.
Although he now finds himself facing what could well be his toughest challenge yet, he struggles to hide his enthusiasm for what is to come. The upcoming international showpiece – Chile’s seventh appearance on this stage – is significant not only for him, but also for his charges and the South American nation as a whole, with the country poised to play host to the global extravaganza for the first time since 1987.
In the final build-up to the FIFA U-20 World Cup Chile 2025™, Cordova sat down with FIFA for an interview in which he acknowledged the importance of the collective and reigniting the flame for the national team: “People have really energised me over the last few days. From a simmering start, World Cup fever is finally set to reach boiling point.”
Nicolas Cordova: First and foremost, it’s an honour and a privilege to coach the national team and represent our country at this competition. I feel so lucky that it’s being held on home soil and that I’ve got the chance to be involved in a U-20 World Cup after so many years. The last time we hosted the tournament was back in 1987. It’s a great responsibility, but we’re in a really relaxed frame of mind, safe in the knowledge that we’ve prepared really well, and we’re now looking to get out there and deliver the results we all want.
Of course. I shared a dressing room with some of the players who featured at that World Cup, the likes of Luka Tudor, who was my team-mate at Colo-Colo. I was only eight years old at the time, and I have a lingering recollection that it was a pretty rain-soaked World Cup. Chile finished fourth and Yugoslavia won it, inspired by players like [Robert] Prosinecki and [Davor] Suker. It was a wonderful World Cup and, at that early stage of my life, I could hardly have believed that I’d one day be competing at this level. In the end, that’s the way things have panned out for me, and I couldn’t be any prouder.
For a player, I don’t think it gets any bigger than representing your country at a World Cup. Of course, there are some huge clubs in world football, but to turn out for your national team you have to be selected and, ultimately, that comes down to your performance levels. That means that only a select few get the privilege of stepping out in their country’s colours. It’s a huge responsibility – not only for the boys who, despite their youth, understand its weight, but also for me as their coach and the person heading up the entire project.
There are two types of objectives that we can set. The first kind relate to results: whether the aim is to reach the round of 16, the semi-finals or go all the way to the final. But that’s all very subjective. The second kind of objectives are internal, and the goal is for us to be able to go toe-to-toe with anyone we face. Achieving that objective is down to what we do, and it’s what has defined us in recent times. Our main aim is to ensure that as many players as possible make the step up to the senior national team.
We’ve got to shoot for the stars and leave it all out there to achieve that goal. We can’t go into the tournament expecting anything less. The boys are definitely full of belief. Ever since it was announced that we’d be the hosts, I’ve been telling them how lucky they are to get to experience a home World Cup at their age. Although the outcome will reflect the work we’ve put in, they’re the ones who have to go out there and shine. That’s what we’ve always told them.
Chilean football is going through a rough patch because we’ve failed to qualify for the last three senior World Cups. That’s why this is such a massive opportunity for us to recapture what we once cherished, something that meant so much to us all. Players need to be brought in at the right age and guided through the process.
Whenever we’ve competed at international level, we’ve done so as a unit. That’s our main strength. We’re not going to go out there and try to win matches by relying on individuals. Our key message has been that the 11 players on the pitch must pull in the same direction, while the other ten need to be ready to make an impact from off the bench.
We played New Zealand in the international window in June. They’re a strong side, with four or five particularly outstanding players. They’ve got plenty of pace about them and are very impressive physically. We then take on Japan, who, for me, have got one of the best youth set-ups around – they’ve been working hard at it for many years, they’ve qualified for countless successive editions of the U-20 World Cup and are always among the main contenders. That’s helped them to forge a very strong senior national team, and they’re going to be tricky customers that’ll force us to dig deep.
We round off the group stage against Egypt, whose physical approach pushes teams to the limit. As you know, African players tend to be extremely quick and physically imposing. Just like all of the groups, it’s going to be tough, so we know we’ll have to be at our best if we’re to progress.
It’s something that we’re very much aware of. We work with psychologists and coaches, and we’re constantly monitoring the players’ emotions. We’ve taken the time to talk with their families before training camps, and we’ve tried to create a support network so that they know we’re there for them. We need the fans to really connect with the team, and it’s up to us to reawaken that passion so we can go on and have a great World Cup.
