The FIFA U-17 World Cup winners list comprises teams that have won the competition from its inception in 1985 which was hosted in China, to the very last edition in 2019 that took place in Brazil. But before we take you to the list, let's delve into the history of the FIFA U-17 World Cup first.
History of the FIFA U-17 World Cup
The FIFA U-17 World Cup was founded as the FIFA U-16 World Championship in 1985, and later changed to U-17 World Championship in 1991, before its current name in 2007. The FIFA U-17 World Cup is a competition that was inspired by the Lion City Cup which was created by the Football Association of Singapore in 1977. The Lion City Cup was the first under-16 football tournament in the world.
As a result of FIFA's then secretary-general Sepp Blatter's recommendation after he was in Singapore for the 1982 Lion City Cup, FIFA created the FIFA U-16 World Championship in 1985. Since 1985, the tournament has been played every two years for players under the age of 16. However, the age limit was raised to 17 from the 1991 edition till date. The 2017 tournament which was hosted by India was a historic one, as it became the most attended in the history of the tournament, with the total attendance of the FIFA U-17 World Cup reaching 1,347,133.
The West African country, Nigeria, won the inaugural edition in 1985 and has gone on to win in four extra occasions to become the most successful nation in the tournament's history, with five titles and further three appearances in the finals which they lost. On the other hand, Brazil is the second most successful nation in the competition with four titles and two runners-up, while Ghana and Mexico have won the tournament twice apiece. The other countries that have won the tournament include Russia, Saudi Arabia, France, England and Switzerland. The current champions of the FIFA U-17 World Cup are Brazil, which won its fourth title at the 2019 tournament on home soil. The next edition will take place in 2023, to be hosted by Indonesia.
SEE ALSO | UEFA Champions League Winners List: Detailed From Inception Till Date
Let’s now see our FIFA under 17 World Cup Winners list.
Under 17 World Cup Winners List
FIFA U-16 World Championship
YEAR WINNER HOSTED
1985: Nigeria [China]
1987: Soviet Union [Canada]
1989: Saudi Arabia [Scotland]
FIFA U-17 World Championship
1991: Ghana [Italy]
1993: Nigeria [Japan]
1995: Ghana [Ecuador]
1997: Brazil [Egypt]
1999: Brazil [New Zealand]
2001: France [Trinidad and Tabago]
2003: Brazil [Finland]
2005: Mexico [Peru]
FIFA U-17 World Cup
2007: Nigeria [South Korea]
2009: Switzerland [Nigeria]
2011: Mexico [Mexico]
2013: Nigeria [UAE]
2015: Nigeria [Chile]
2017: England [India]
2019: Brazil [Brazil]
SEE ALSO | FIFA Women's World Cup Winners List From 1991 To 2022
In total, nine countries have won the FIFA U-17 World Cup since its inception. Unfortunately for Nigerian football fans, the competition's record holders, the Golden Eaglets, won't be participating in the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup due to their failure to make the last four in the 2023 AFCON U-17 tournament.
Senegal, Morocco, Mali and Burkina Faso will represent Africa in the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup to be staged by Indonesia. Which country will win the 2023 edition? We'll leave time to answer that.
This article was most recently revised and updated 4 months ago
