Doha: The quarterfinals of the FIFA U-17 World Cup Qatar 2025 kick off on Friday, extending the excitement until November 27. The Aspire Zone complex hosts four pivotal matches to determine which teams will advance to the semifinals.
According to Qatar News Agency, the quarterfinals feature four European teams: Italy, Austria, Switzerland, and Portugal. Representing Africa are Morocco and Burkina Faso, with South America and Asia represented by Brazil and Japan, respectively. All eight teams are vying for a spot closer to the championship title.
Morocco, the only Arab football representative and the team with the highest score in the tournament after a 16-0 victory over New Caledonia, faces a challenging match against Brazil, four-time champions, at the Mansour Muftah Stadium. Brazil reached this stage by defeating 2001 champions France 4-3 on penalties, while Morocco overcame Mali 3-2.
Italy aims to maintain their successful tournament run when they face Burkina Faso at the Khalid Ballan Stadium. Italy defeated Uzbekistan 3-2 in the previous round, while Burkina Faso triumphed over Uganda 5-3 on penalties.
Portugal, having eliminated Mexico in the previous round, is set to meet Switzerland, which defeated Ireland 3-1 in the round of 16, at the Ibrahim Khalfan Stadium. The Swiss team hopes to revive their title aspirations, having won the tournament once in 2009.
Japan, which advanced past North Korea via penalties in the previous round, faces Austria at Khalid Salman Stadium. This marks only Japan's second quarterfinal appearance in 11 tournaments, their first being in 1993. Austria, making their third World Cup appearance, defeated 2017 champions England with a 4-0 victory in the previous round.
Following the quarterfinal matches, the qualified teams will have rest days on November 22nd and 23rd before resuming for the semifinals. Two additional rest days are scheduled for November 25th and 26th, ahead of the final and third-place match on November 27.
This edition of the FIFA U-17 World Cup features an expanded lineup of 48 teams, a first in the tournament's history, and marks the beginning of five consecutive editions to be hosted by Qatar through 2029.