FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup: Teams to Look Out for

Following hot on the heels of the just-concluded FIFA World Cup is the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.

Contested every two years, the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup crowns the world champions for women’s soccer at the Under-20 age level. Sixteen teams from around the globe have qualified through continental competitions to earn their spots in France.

Starting from the 5^th of August through to the 24^th of August, 32 games will be played across four different locations in France. As we countdown to the start of the tournament, here are some of the teams to look out for:

1. United States

Team U.S.A is one of the teams that will be set to impress in this ninth edition of the competition. And one strong point to prove that is their consistency at this level of international football.

In the last eight editions of this tournament, the U.S of A has won it three times, finished in third place once (2004) and finished in fourth place once (2006, 2016). Drawn in the same group as Japan, Paraguay and Spain, the Americans will be looking to go as far as possible again.

2. Germany

Group D, beyond any reasonable doubt, is the Group of Death in this competition. And the reason is not far-fetched.

China PR, Haiti, Nigeria and Germany got drawn in the same group. Okay, maybe the Haitians are not renowned for their football-playing prowress at this level. But the Germans?

Just like the Americans, they’ve won the FIFA U-20 World Cup three times – three times out of the eight times it has been organized. And when they were not busy outscoring their opponents in the finals, they have finished as runners-up (once) and as the third-best team (once).

3. North Korea

Another team that most of the time finishes the competition either as winners (twice) or as runners-up (once). But they may find getting to the finish line a bit difficult this time around.

They’ve been drawn in Group B, alongside England, Mexico and Brazil.

4. Nigeria

Nigeria’s Falconets will, this time around, be looking to go one better than they’ve always done.

They’ve not failed to qualify for this tournament since its inception in 2002. Twice, they’ve finished as runners-up, losing to Germany on both occasions. Their other best finish came in 2012 when they lost the third-place match 2-1 to Japan.

Which of these four teams do you think will do well in France? Or are we set to witness another FIFA tournament with a surprise winner? Share your thoughts with us by leaving us a comment.