football

Updated: Mar 27, 2017 23:57 IST

The iconic Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata has been named as the venue for the final of the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup, which will be held in India from October 6-28.

The decision was taken on Monday after a FIFA delegation completed a week-long inspection of the six venues.

The semi-finals of the tournament will be held in Guwahati and Navi Mumbai, while the opening games will be held in New Delhi and Navi Mumbai.

The quarter-finals, meanwhile, will be hosted by Goa, Guwahati, Kochi and Kolkata.

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“The FIFA U-17 World Cup is an exciting milestone for the growth of football in India and it has now reached a very important stage. The match schedule has been created following a thorough analysis of players’ health, competition format, team movements, weather, local festivities, geography and other factors.

“Each venue will host at least eight matches, and we took existing infrastructure into account, as well as local enthusiasm, when allotting the matches,” FIFA Head of Tournaments, Jaime Yarza, said following the announcement of the venues.

Javier Ceppi, the tournament director of the local organizing committee said, “This is the first time that India is hosting a FIFA tournament. It will be also the first time an Indian team will play in a FIFA competition.

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“In recognition of the increasing excitement about the beautiful game in India, ‘Football Takes Over’ was the first and most fitting choice as the official slogan for the tournament. Soon we will open ticket sales and fans will have great opportunities to attend matches at discounted rates. We are expecting huge interest from football fans in this historical FIFA U-17 World Cup in India.”

The draw for the main tournament will be held in Navi Mumbai on July 7.