FIFA U-20 WORLD CUP BEGINS TODAY Asian quartet primed for Poland 2019
AFC
SAUDI Arabia, Korea Republic, Japan and Qatar will be flying the flag for Asia when the eagerly anticipated 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup gets underway in Poland on Thursday.
The quartet qualified for the global extravaganza courtesy of their performances at last year’s AFC U-19 Championship, a tournament which saw Saudi Arabia – inspired by attacking midfielder Turki al Ammar – beat Korea Republic 2-1 in the final.
The FIFA U-20 World Cup’s latest edition will run until June 15, and will be held in six cities across Poland - Bielsko-Biala, Bydgoszcz, Gdynia, Lodz, Lublin and Tychy.
ASIA’S HOPEFULS
Saudi Arabia: Are making their ninth appearance at the FIFA U-20 World Cup. Shone brightly during qualifying and will see 2013 champions France as their main rivals in Group E.
South Korea: Korea Republic are appearing for a 15th time, after hosting the last edition in 2017. Two-time winners Portugal and six-time champions Argentina await them in Group F.
JAPAN: Beaten semi-finalists at the 2018 AFC U-19 Championship, this is Japan’s 10th FIFA U-20 World Cup. The 1999 runners-up will play Italy, who finished third two years ago, in Group B. QATAR: After reaching the 2018 AFC U-19 Championship’s last four, Qatar are set to feature for a fourth time. Their game against two-time runnersup Nigeria is the standout fixture in Group D.
An Asian side has yet to be crowned FIFA U-20 World Cup champions, although Qatar (1981) and Japan (1999) have both reached the final before losing to West Germany and Spain respectively. Last time out, host nation Korea Republic, Japan and Saudi Arabia all safely navigated the group stage but subsequently exited in the Round of 16.
Since its inception in 1977, the FIFA U-20 World Cup has undoubtedly provided a springboard for some of football’s biggest names, with luminaries such as Lionel Messi, Xavi, Paul Pogba and Ronaldinho all going on to greater things after featuring at one time or another.
Asia’s rising stars of yesteryear have also been thrust into the global spotlight thanks to their performances in previous editions, notably Hidetoshi Nakata’s dynamic displays at Qatar 1995 and United Arab Emirates ace Ismaeil Mata’s claiming of the Golden Ball when the UAE played host to the world in 2003.