FIFA U-17 World Cup: Which Teams Will Qualify for the Quarter-finals?

The tournament which is being hosted in Brazil has been full of everything but surprises. Nothing is exactly surprising in this kind of tournament – except seeing teams like Solomon Islands win a game. Well, that didn’t happen. However, the first round was full of goals.

From the 24 that started the tournament, 16 have progressed to the second round of the competition. The first two games of the Round of 16 featured two of the three African teams that made it out of the group stages. Sadly, both teams failed to qualify.

Angola lost to South Korea while Nigeria lost to Holland. With two teams out and the other two progressing to the next round, which of the 12 remaining teams will make the next round?

1. Japan vs. Mexico

The Japanese boys were the only ones that kept a clean sheet throughout the group stages. Going into the next round, they’re up against Mexico, joint highest goal scorers in the group stages – alongside Brazil and Paraguay.

2. Brazil vs. Chile

Chile face an uphill task when they take on the host nation, Brazil. The Samba Boys have made the most of their home advantage. Scoring nine goals, they’ve only conceded once. For Chile, they qualified as one of the best losers from the group stage. Is this the end of the road for the Chileans?

3. Paraguay vs. Argentina

Both sides scored a combined 15 goals in the group stages. It’s easy to quickly predict that this game will produce over 2,5 goals. However, both sides only let in a combined total of three goals, with Paraguay letting in just one.

4. Spain vs. Senegal

The only surviving African contingent will take on the Europeans that finished top of Group D. Just like Brazil, Spain only conceded once during the group stages. However, they will be wary of the West African side that has scored an average of two goals per game.

5. France vs. Australia

All three games the Australians played in the group stage featured over 2,5 goals. In addition, both sides scored in all of those games. This trend is set to continue in their Round of 16 clash with France, a side that scored seven goals in the group stages.

6. Ecuador vs. Italy

Ecuador’s three games produced 13 goals in total – they scored seven and conceded six. Their Italian opponents scored eight times and conceded just three goals. Another thing both sides have in common is that they both finished second in their respective groups.

Which of these teams will go the farthest in this tournament? Will it be the home side or one team from the rest of the pack? Share your thoughts with us by dropping your comments.