The most prestigious youth national-team tournament in men’s football is taking place as the 2023 FIFA Under-20 World Cup is held in Argentina between May 20 and June 11.
The biennial tournament was last held in 2019 since the 2021 edition was cancelled due to scheduling and logistical challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2023 U20 World Cup was originally set to be held in Indonesia, but that nation’s refusal to welcome Israel’s squad — the countries don’t have diplomatic relations — saw FIFA strip the tournament from Indonesia in March 2023 and instead move it to Argentina.
France, Brazil, Italy, and England are among the favorites to win the 2023 edition. Argentina, who had originally failed to qualify from South America, were slotted in as the new host nation and will surely contend on home soil.
Defending champions Ukraine failed to qualify for the 2023 tournament, falling at the second stage of European qualifying on a cards tiebreaker.
MORE: Teams qualified to the 2023 U20 World Cup
A total of 24 nations qualified for the 2023 FIFA Under-20 World Cup via qualifying tournaments held in their respective regions.
The participating nations hail from Asia (4 spots), Africa (4), North America (4), South America (4), Oceania (2), and Europe (5) with Argentina participating as the host nation.
The 24 countries were divided into groups A-F via a group-stage draw held on April 21, 2023. The top two teams in each group, along with the four best third-place finishers will advance to the Round of 16.
The 52 total matches will take place in four cities in Argentina: Mendoza, La Plata, Santiago del Estero, and San Juan. The final will take place in La Plata’s Estadio Unico on Sunday, June 11.
Each of the 52 matches will kick off in one of three local time slots and here’s how those translate across different regions of the world.
MORE: Why Indonesia was stripped of 2023 U20 World Cup by FIFA
The complete schedule, group standings and knockout-round pairings follow below.
The single-elimination knockout rounds will consist of the Round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, final, and third-place match.
Any knockout matches tied after 90 minutes will head to 30 minutes of extra time and a penalty shootout, if necessary.
