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ZURICH, November 11, 2026 – FIFA has confirmed the official squad lists for all 48 teams competing at the FIFA U-17 World Cup Qatar 2026, which begins in Doha next week.
The governing body said more than 1,000 players are set to take part in the 2026 edition. The tournament will run from November 19 to December 13, with 104 matches scheduled in Doha.
All games up until the final will be played across eight pitches at the Aspire Zone complex. The final will be staged at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium.
Last year’s U-17 World Cup, also held in Qatar, was the first to feature 48 teams. FIFA said that edition drew large crowds, with thousands of fans attending matches to watch some of the leading young players in the men’s game. The same 48-team format has been retained for this year’s tournament, again in Qatar.
The under-17 World Cup has a long record as a stage for players who later became established internationals. In Wednesday’s announcement, FIFA listed former participants including Luís Figo, Francesco Totti, Ronaldinho, Neymar, Xavi, Andrés Iniesta, Victor Osimhen and Phil Foden.
The confirmation of the squads comes eight days before the opening matches. The published lists now form the official record of who is eligible to play in Qatar. FIFA’s announcement did not highlight individual call-ups from the newly confirmed parties, and pointed readers instead to the full squad lists and the match schedule on its website.
The expanded field gives a wider group of member associations a place at the global under-17 finals. Over the coming weeks in Doha, those 48 teams will contest the group stage and the knock-out rounds that follow, culminating in the final at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium on December 13.
In the same announcement, FIFA invited readers to view the confirmed squads and the match schedule on its website. It said the Aspire Zone complex will play host to more than 100 matches, as part of a 104-match programme that runs until the final at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium on December 13.
Tickets for the tournament are on general sale through FIFA’s ticketing pages. With the squads now confirmed, attention turns to the opening matches in the Aspire Zone from November 19.
The published lists now stand as the official record of the 48 squads, eight days before the first match. FIFA has pointed readers to those lists and to the match schedule on its website as the tournament in Doha approaches.
Source: FIFA.
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