The FIFA U-20 World Cup Chile 2025™ is almost upon us, with 52 matches coming thick and fast across the next 23 days. The hosts are one of eight nations in action on Matchday 1 as they face New Zealand, while Paraguay tackle Panama, Japan take on Egypt and Korea Republic and Ukraine do battle in a repeat of the Poland 2019 decider.
Fixtures
Saturday 27 September
Japan v Egypt
Korea Republic v Ukraine
Chile v New Zealand
Paraguay v Panama
How to watch
You can purchase tickets to watch the stars of tomorrow play live here. You can also stream all matches for free on FIFA+.
Japan v Egypt
17:00 in Santiago
23:00 in Cairo
05:00 on Sunday in Tokyo
Japan and Egypt will face off at Santiago’s Estadio Nacional Julio Martinez Pradanos. Both nations proudly display one medal from the U-20 event in their respective cabinets, as Japan took silver from Nigeria 1999 after losing to Spain in the final, while Egypt finished Argentina 2001 with bronze thanks to a 1-0 win over Paraguay in the third-place match.
Players to watch
Rion Ichihara
Powerful in the air, strong in the tackle, and an intelligent reader of the game, Ichihara is a rock at the heart of the Japanese defence.
Omar Khedr
With speed and skill aplenty, winger Khedr is sure to be a key player in Egypt’s attack.
Korea Republic v Ukraine
17:00 in Valparaiso
23:00 in Kyiv
05:00 on Sunday in Seoul
Korea Republic and Ukraine’s last U-20 meeting came in the Poland 2019 final, with the Blue and Yellows winning 3-1. They’ll lock horns again at Valparaiso’s Estadio Elias Figueroa Brander, with the AFC giants – who placed fourth at Argentina 2023 – out to flip the script this time around.
Players to watch
Hong Sungmin
Hong was a key contributor in booking Korea Republic’s spot at these finals, as penalty heroics and a string of fine saves caught the eye. He has previous on global soil as well, having starred at the FIFA U-17 World Cup Indonesia 2023™.
Hennadii Synchuk
A strong dribbler with an eye for goal, winger Synchuk is ready to alight these finals after impressing at the UEFA U-19 EURO to help qualify the Blue and Yellows.
Chile v New Zealand
20:00 in Santiago
12:00 on Sunday in Auckland
The hosts join the party in their capital, with New Zealand the visitors for what is sure to be a lively memorable occasion. Chile previously placed fourth in their last campaign as hosts in 1987 and know a repeat of those heroics would be a resounding success here. The OFC giants, meanwhile, have reached the last 16 in each of the previous four tournaments.
Players to watch
Juan Rossel
Rossel is Chile’s captain fantastic, as the forward combines intelligent movement with exceptional finishing and is out to be the hosts’ hero.
Henry Gray
On the books of Ipswich Town, the German-born goalkeeper was also part of the Junior All Whites squad at Argentina 2023 and is keen to star as No1 this time around.
Paraguay v Panama
18:00 in Panama City
20:00 in Valparaiso
20:00 in Asuncion
Antolin Alcaraz entered the Paraguay hot seat following a 6-0 defeat to Uruguay in qualifying and promptly led his new side to victories over Chile, Argentina and Uruguay to book their place at a first tournament in 12 years. Panama, who clinched their first victory at these finals in their last trip six years ago, sunk Canada after extra time to return to the tournament.
Players to watch
Rafael Mosquera
One of Panamanian football’s next great hopes, Mosquera is a deadly goalscorer and serial assist-provided.
Lucas Quintana
Paraguay’s captain is a centre-back who combines ruggedness with composure on the ball and is exceptional in both boxes.
