FIFA U17 World Cup | Logo, venues and tournament dates

01/20/2017

The FIFA U-17 World Cup is just eight months away and Indian football fans are excited to host the first-ever official FIFA tournament in the country. The venues for the matches have been announced after all of them passed inspection by FIFA themselves for hosting a tournament of this magnitude.

The tournament is scheduled to start on October 6 and will feature the 24 best teams from across the globe including hosts India. This is the first time in history that India will take part in an official FIFA event. India will be joined in the tournament by Japan, Iraq along with superpowers Brazil, Germany, and Spain.

The final of the tournament will be played at the newly renovated Salt Lake Stadium on October 28.

Here is everything you need to know about all the venues that will host the World Cup matches.

Salt Lake Stadium

Location : Kolkata, West Bengal

I-League Team : Mohun Bagan & East Bengal

Indian Super League Team : Atletico de Kolkata

Capacity : 85,000

The Salt lake stadium uite possibly the most famous football stadium in the country due to its history and sheer size. The current stadium was built in 1984 and boasts of an all-time high attendance of 131,000 in a Kolkata Derby match. The stadium plays host to rivals Mohun Bagan and East Bengal in the I-League and is used by Atletico de Kolkata in the Indian Super League. The stadium has also hosted a number of matches for the National team along with an international friendly where Lionel Messi's Argentina played Venezuela.

Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium

Location : Kochi, Kerala

I-League Team : NA

Indian Super League Team : Kerala Blasters

Capacity : 60,500

The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium or the Kaloor International Stadium was the venue for the 2017 Indian Super League final where Atletico beat home side Kerala Blasters on penalties. The stadium has a capacity of 60,500 and is usually filled to the brink during the ISL. Although it does not host any current I-League team, Chirag United used it during their short stint in the league. In the past, the stadium has been used for international cricket matches as well.

Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium

Location : New Delhi

I-League Team : NA

Indian Super League Team : Delhi Dynamos

Capacity : 60,000

The stadium in the capital was built in 1983 and brags of hosting 60,000 fans during a match after it was renovated for the Commonwealth Games in 2010. Due to the absence of an I-League team from Delhi, the stadium only hosts the Dynamos during the ISL and some matches for the National team. It did, however, host Baichung Bhutia's farewell match against Bayern Munich in 2012.

DY Patil Stadium

Location : Mumbai, Maharashtra

I-League Team : NA

Indian Super League Team : NA

Capacity : 55,000

The Mumbai stadium is a multi-purpose arena that has hosted both cricket and football matches in the domestic leagues. Even though Mumbai City FC use the Mumbai Football Arena as their home ground, they have played a few matches in the 55,000 capacity stadium as well. The stadium was built in 2008 and hosted the first-ever IPL final between the Chennai Super Kings and the Rajasthan Royals.

Indira Gandhi Stadium

Location : Guwahati, Assam

I-League Team : NA

Indian Super League Team : NorthEast United

Capacity :30,000

Built in 2007, the Indira Gandhi Stadium plays host to the Indian National team and NorthEast United FC. In the year that it was made available for use, the stadium hosted the National Games, and last year, it was the venue for the South Asian Games. The senior national team is unbeaten in three matches, winning the last one 6-1 against Laos in the play-off round of the Asian Cup qualification.

Jawarharlal Nehru Stadium

Location : Margao, Goa

I-League Team : Churchill Brothers

Indian Super League Team : FC Goa

Capacity : 19,000

The Jawarharlal Nehru Stadium was built over a period of just 6 months in 1989 and has acted as the home ground of all four major Goan clubs namely Dempo, Churchill Brothers, Salgaocar, and Sporting Clube de Goa. From 2014, FC Goa have also used it to host matches in the ISL as well. Along with football, it has hosted quite a few number of cricket matches as well.