India to host 2020 Under-17 Women's World Cup

FIFA president Gianni Infantino, on Friday, announced that India will host the 2020 FIFA Under-17 Women's World Cup.

The 2017 Under-17 World Cup is the first FIFA tournament that India has hosted to date.

India has won the rights to host the 2020 FIFA Under-17 Women's World Cup, which will be the seventh edition of the biennial tournament. As host, India will gain a direct qualification to the tournament and will be participating for the first time.

India, which is affiliated to the Asian Football Confederation, failed to qualify for the 2018 edition after finishing third in its AFC under-16 championship qualifying group, behind South Korea and Philippines. The top three teams from the AFC Under-16 Championship qualify for the Under-17 Women's World Cup.

“We are delighted to announce that India has been confirmed as the host of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in 2020,” Infantino said after the FIFA Council meeting in Miami, USA.

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) had expressed its interest to host the tournament in 2018, a year after the country successfully hosted the Under-17 Men's World Cup, which England won, beating Spain in the final.

The Spain under-17 women's team is the defending champion, while North Korea has had most success in the competition with two titles. Japan in 2014, France in 2012 and South Korea in 2010 have been the other winners.

After being awarded the hosting rights, AIFF tweeted, "We are delighted to announce that India has been confirmed as the host of the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in 2020".

This will be the second FIFA tournament India will be hosting, after the country hosted the U-17 Men’s World Cup in 2017.