1) Which countries have dominated the FIFA U-20 World Cup as champions?
The most successful team in the history of the competition is not a European team. Spain has only lifted the cup once in 1999 while West Germany won it in 1981.
Argentina has been crowned a record six times, the most in this competition. They won in 1979, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2005 and 2007.
Brazil, the current holders, has the second most number of titles to their name with five. Their victories came in 1983, 1985, 1993, 2003 and 2011.
2) What is the United States’ record at the FIFA U-20 World Cup?
The United States has a patchy record at the FIFA U-20 Championships. They did not qualify for the first two editions in 1977 and 1979. Group stage exits haunted them in 1981, 1983, 1987 and later in 2009. Their best finish came in 1989.
When Saudi Arabia hosted the championships, the US finished fourth. Between 1997 and 2009, they qualified for every single FIFA U-20 World Cup and never got knocked out in the first round.
3) What are the highlights of Mexico U20’s history at the event?
Mexico, as in senior tournaments, failed to crown the talents of their youngsters in this tournament. Their best result came in the first edition in 1979 when they finished runners up after cruelly losing to the former Soviet Union on penalties. Between 1979 and 2009, the best they achieved was a place in the last eight. In the last edition, Mexico collected bronze as they finished third.
4) Has an African team ever won the tournament?
Ghana, Nigeria, Mali, Egypt and Morocco have all made the latter stages of the competition from Africa. Ghana however is the only team from that continent to win the competition. Ghana triumphed in 2009 on Egyptian soil; they beat Brazil 4-3 in a penalty shootout following a 0-0 draw after extra time.
5) The format and host cities down the years – since 1977
The tournament was called the FIFA Coca Cola Cup until 1997. Until 2005, the tournament was called the FIFA Youth Championship. It features 24 different teams; up to 1995, the competition contained only 16 sides. 23 countries have to come through the qualifying rounds of their respective governing bodies including the holders.
The hosts are the only ones who are given a free pass to the group stages. Speaking of hosts, many different countries have gotten a chance to host the competition including Tunisia, Japan, Australia, Mexico, Soviet Union, Chile, Saudi Arabia, Portugal, Qatar, Malaysia, Nigeria, Argentina, UAE, Netherlands, Canada, Egypt, Colombia and Turkey. New Zealand will host the 2015 edition.
Live Soccer TV covers the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup with live stream and TV info as well as post-match video highlights. Make sure to visit the competition page for TV schedules and more.
