Kolkata to host U-17 World Cup final; semis in Guwahati, Navi Mumbai

The international football governing body FIFA announced on Monday that the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata will host the final of the U-17 World Cup on October 28 while the two semi-finals will be held in Guwahati and Navi Mumbai.

The junior World Cup will take place in India for the first time and gets underway on October 6. The slogan of the World Cup will be "Football Takes Over". There will be 24 teams competing in six cities.

The match schedule was announced by Tournament Director Javier Ceppi.

The Salt Lake Stadium will host the maximum number, ten, of matches, including the summit clash.

The colossal stadium, which has previously hosted Lionel Messi and Oliver Kahn's Germany, will also have one round-of-sixteen tie, one quarter-final, a third-place game and six Group F matches.

Group A



will be played in Navi Mumbai while Group B will be hosted by New Delhi. Mumbai's DY Patil Stadium will have one round-of-16 tie and one semi-final and Delhi will have two round-of-16 matches.

Goa will host Group C and two round-of-16 matches and one quarter-final, while Kochi will shelter Group D, one round-of-16 tie and a quarter-final.

Group E matches will be in Guwahati with one-round-of 16 tie, one quarter-final and one semi clash.

A 21-member-FIFA and Local Organising Committee visited the Salt Lake stadium to assess the preparedness.

Kolkata was FIFA's last stop for inspection. The governing body of world football visited all five venues, New Delhi, Goa, Navi Mumbai, Kochi and Guwahati, and were left disappointed with the renovation work in Kochi. They also asked Delhi to work on the training pitches.