From Group Drama to Knockout Showdowns: The Round of 32 Arrives at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar

FIFA on Tuesday unveiled the Round of 32 fixtures for the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar, following the completion of the group stage of the tournament.

The event runs in Qatar from November 3 to 27, with 48 teams participating for the first time in the competition’s history.

Teams were divided into 12 groups of four, with the top two finishers and the eight best third-placed sides advancing to the knockout phase.

Round of 32 games are scheduled for Friday and Saturday, with FIFA set to announce the precise kick-off times later.

Arab-African qualification and Asian disappointment

Three Arab teams—Morocco, Egypt, and Tunisia—qualified for the knockout rounds, while the Asian trio of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates fell short.

Morocco advanced as one of the best third-placed teams after finishing third in Group B with 3 points and a +8 goal difference, earning a meeting with the United States, the Group 9 winners.

Egypt also progressed among the best third-placed teams, gathering 4 points to finish third in Group E, and were drawn to face Switzerland, the Group 7 leaders.

Tunisia qualified as one of the best third-placed teams thanks to 3 points and a +3 goal difference in Group D, and they will take on Austria, the Group 12 leaders.

Qatar, the hosts, exited after finishing third in Group A with two points, while Saudi Arabia ended third in Group H with 3 points and a -2 goal difference, recording one win and two losses. United Arab Emirates failed to win and finished bottom of Group C with a solitary point.

Teams advancing to the Round of 32

Portugal

Argentina

Italy

Brazil

Zambia

Austria

United States

Ireland

Belgium

Japan

Senegal

Croatia

South Africa

Egypt

Venezuela

Switzerland

Korea

North Korea

Morocco

Germany

Colombia

Tunisia

England

France

Canada

Uganda

Uzbekistan

Paraguay

Burkina Faso

Czech Republic

Mali

Mexico

Round of 32 matchups

Argentina × Mexico

Austria × Tunisia

Italy × Czech Republic

United States × Morocco

Brazil × Paraguay

Senegal × Uganda

Venezuela × North Korea

Switzerland × Egypt

Ireland × Canada

Japan × South Africa

Germany × Burkina Faso

France × Colombia

Zambia × Mali

Croatia × Uzbekistan

South Korea × England

Portugal × Belgium

How were the matches decided?

FIFA introduced a new method to determine the Round of 32 fixtures after expanding the field to 48 teams for the first time in history.

The Round of 32 pairings are based on a ranking of all advancing teams after the group stage, with teams seeded to preserve a balance between group winners and high-performing third-placed sides.

The system pairs a top seed with a strong but lower third-placed side, and so on, ensuring variety and avoiding a repeat of group-stage matchups.

Further matches in the Round of 32 follow a similar principle, with the process prioritizing overall ranking while respecting the constraint that teams from the same group do not meet in this round.

In cases where a pairing would violate the group-conflict rule, fixtures are adjusted automatically to maintain fairness and tournament drama.

Overall, the format aims to give all qualified teams a fair shot at advancing, while preserving the excitement and diversity of knockout-stage football.

And yes, if the bracket were a dessert, this draw would be a cherry-laden cake of balanced surprises and knockout shocks—no guesswork, just pure bracket chaos. Sniper’s final joke: if suspense had a dial, FIFA just turned it to 11 and handed you the remote.