The U17 groups have been drawn for the U17 World Cup, and there will be some exciting matchups taking place in Qatar. Top squads will head to the middle eastern country and compete for the world cup trophy. 

In the past names like Phil Foden, Neymar, and more recently Claudio Echeverri have lit up the World stage. FIFA recently announced that the tournament would now take place every year providing new opportunities for each age group to show out on the world stage. The 2025 edition will be the first to feature 48 teams in twelve separate groups. Group A features the likes of host nation Qatar, European powerhouse Italy, South American hopefuls Bolivia, and South Africa from the south of the continent. Other notable groups include Group D which will include finalists from last edition Argentina, as well as Belgium who will most definitely pose a threat. The group is rounded out by Tunisia and Fiji. Another group to look out for will be Group I. The United States is the first team to qualify in this group. They will face off against the Czech Republic, Tajikistan, and Burkina Faso. The United States will be favorites to top this group, but Burkina Faso will most likely be the most difficult team they face. France and Canada will face off in Group K. Canada will boast a strong squad at this tournament, but France will likely prove to be a tough challenge for the CONCACAF side. Mexico’s group includes South Korea, Switzerland, and Ivory Coast. 

Ahead of the World Cup this year we have picked out a few players from around the world who should be on people’s minds come the tournament. To begin we will take a look at German forward Alexander Staff.

Alexander Staff is a dynamic striker for Germany’s U17 squad. He is currently participating in their European championship run with Germany, and he is a great center forward. He is also eligible for multiple other nations including the United States. Staff will be one to watch later this year for the German U17 squa , and will likely start for them up top.

Cavan Sullivan will likely be one of the youngest players are the entire tournament. He will be just sixteen years old by the time the tournament kicks off. He will be playing a ten or winger role for the United States in a very strong squad. He will look to help lead the squad to one of the United States’ best ever finish t he U17 World Cup.

Max Dowman is a winger for Arsenal and England. Dowman is an electric winger who is brilliant on the ball as one can see from some of these Youtube clips. Dowman is reportedly headed on preseason with Arsenal’s first team next season despite being born on the last day of 2009.

Zidane Yanez is a dynamic striker for the Chilean national team and NYCFC. He has already played incredible in the qualifiers for Chile even winning the top scorer at one of the Conmebol tournaments. He will certainly be leading the line for Chile when November comes.

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