Union Cabinet Approves Signing of Guarantees for Hosting FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup

NEW DELHI: The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the Signing of Guarantees for hosting the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) Under 17 Women's World Cup 2022 in India.

India will organize the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup 2022 between the scheduled dates on 11th and 30th of October 2022.

The approval of the Union Cabinet came at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi,  after the re-constitution of the All India Football Federation (AIFF), which was banned by FIFA briefly last month citing third-party influence.

Notably, the seventh edition of the biennial youth tournament will be the first-ever FIFA women's competition to be hosted by India. This is a significant step taken for women's football by carrying on the positive legacy from the FIFA Under-17 Men's World Cup 2017, when the best young female footballers from across the world will be showcasing their skills in a bid to lift the coveted trophy.

According to reports, Sports Minister Anurag Thakur said Rs 60 crore will be spent for hosting the tournament that will see the participation of 16 teams, including India.

An assistance of Rs 10 crore to the All India Football Federation (AIFF) for the field of play maintenance, stadium power, energy and cabling, stadia and training site branding will be met from the budgetary allocation for the Scheme of Assistance to National Sports Federations (NSFs), Thakur said.

The FIFA Under-17 Women's World Cup would inspire more young girls to participate in sports and help develop the sport of football in the country.

Moreover, the event will not only promote football as the sport of choice among Indian girls; it is also poised to leave a lasting legacy that will facilitate girls and women in the country to embrace and acknowledge football and sports in general.

Earlier, the sixth edition of the event was held in Uruguay in 2018 where Spain had emerged as the champion.

In 2017, India successfully hosted the FIFA Under-17 Men's World Cup India-2017 at six different venues.

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