ATLANTA (June 4, 2025) – The U.S. Under-17 Women’s Youth National Team will face Ecuador, China PRand Norway in Group Cat the 2025 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, taking place at four venues in Morocco from Oct. 17 - Nov. 8. The Final Draw took place this afternoon in Rabat, Morocco. This will be the first FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup held in Africa.
The USA was drawn into Group C and will face Ecuador (9 a.m. ET / 2 p.m. local time) in its first match on Saturday, Oct. 18. The USA will then face China PR on Tuesday, October 21 (Noon ET / 5 p.m. local)and finish group play against Norway on Friday, October 24 (9 a.m. ET / 2 p.m. local). All three of the USA’s Group C games will be played at the Football Academy Mohammed VI (Pitch 3) in Sale, which is just outside of the capital of Rabat.
“It’s an exciting time for everyone when we get to see our group for the World Cup,” said U.S. head coach Katie Schoepfer, who led the USA to a third-place finish at the 2024 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in the Dominican Republic. “It’s always an honor to represent the crest at the highest level and with 24 teams in the event, we know every team will bring high quality and unique challenges. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to see our players grow and succeed on a world stage.”
The 2025 FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup marks the first tournament at this age level to feature 24 nations and the first in what will now be an annual competition. Starting this year, the next five FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cups will be held in Morocco.
The USA qualified for the 2025 FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup with a dominating performance during the final round of the 2025 Concacaf Women's U-17 qualifiers in Trinidad & Tobago, winning its group by outscoring its three opponents, 17-0. Forwards Ashlyn Anderson and Micayla Johnson, who plays for the Chicago Stars in the NWSL, led the USA in scoring with four goals each.
Prior to the Final Draw, the 24 qualified nations were allocated into four pots of six teams each.The host country, Morocco, was automatically allocated to Pot 1. All remaining teams were allocated according to the FIFA ranking systembased on the total number of points obtained at the last five editions of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup (three points for a win, one point for a draw and zero points for a defeat), namely those editions held in 2024, 2022, 2018, 2016 and 2014.FIFA’s general principle, whenever possible, is to ensure that no group has more than one team from the same confederation drawn into it.
The USA was in Pot 1 with Morocco, Spain, Japan, Korea DPR and Nigeria, then drew Ecuador from Pot 2, China PR from Pot 3 and Norway from Pot 4.
The 2024 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup will feature six groups of four teams each, with the top two finishers in each group, along with the four best third-place finishers, advancing to the Round of 16. Should the U.S. advance to the second round by winning the group, it would meet a third-place team from Groups A, B or F. If the USA finishes second in the group, it would face the second-place team from Group A.
All 51 matches of this tournament will be played at four venues: three fields will be utilized at the Football Academy Mohammed VI facility, along with games in Rabat at the Olympic Stadium Annex Sports Complex Prince Moulay Abdellah, the Sports Complex Prince Heritier Moulay el Hassan and Al Barid Stadium.
Additional Notes:
- Thirty-three of the group matches will be played at the Football Academy Mohammed VI across three different fields while Morocco will play its three group games at the Olympic Stadium Annex Sports Complex Prince Moulay Abdellah, which seats 21,000.
- All of the knockout games will be played at the Sports Complex Prince Heritier Moulay el Hassan (12,000 capacity), Al Barid Stadium (18,000 capacity) or at Olympic Stadium Annex Sports Complex Prince Moulay Abdellah, which will host the 2025 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Final on Nov. 8.
- The USA has never faced any of its group opponents in a U-17 Women’s World Cup. The same thing occurred for the USA at the 2024 FIFA U-17 WWC in the Dominican Republic.
- This is Ecuador’s second time in the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup after playing in 2024, a tournament in which it advanced out of group play to the quarterfinals.
- Ecuador qualified for the 2025 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup by finishing in third place at the finals stage of the 2025 South American U-17 Women’s Championship, beating champions Paraguay and Brazil, and just ahead of Colombia.
- China PR will be playing in its fourth FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup after appearing in 2012, 2014 and 2022, but has never advanced out of the group stage.
- China qualified from Asia via nominations by the Asian Football Confederation based on results of the last three editions of AFC U-17 Women's Asian Cup in Thailand in 2017 and 2019 and in Indonesia in 2024.
- Norway will be making its FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup debut and earned its berth by making the final four at the 2025 UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship, at which it finished second, falling in the final to the Netherlands, 2-1, after defeating Italy, 3-1, in the semifinals.
- The expanded 2025 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup will feature four first-time participants in Ivory Coast from Africa, Samoa from Oceania and Netherlands and Norway from Europe.
- North Korea won the inaugural tournament in 2008 in New Zealand, defeating the USA in the championship game in overtime, and South Korea won the second installment in 2010 in Trinidad & Tobago, defeating Japan in penalty kicks after an entertaining 3-3 tie through regulation and overtime.
- In the third U-17 WWC in 2012, France broke through, defeating North Korea in penalty kicks in the championship game in Azerbaijan, but Japan returned the trophy to Asia in 2014, defeating Spain, 2-0, in Costa Rica.
- In 2016, North Korea won again, defeating Japan in penalty kicks after a 0-0 tie in regulation. That tournament was played in Jordan.
- In 2018, the trophy returned to Europe as Spain beat Mexico, 2-1, in the final in Uruguay.
- After the 2020 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup was cancelled due to COVID-19, Spain made it back-to-back U-17 world titles in 2022, defeating Colombia, 1-0, in the championship game in India.
- In 2024, North Korea defeated Spain in the final in penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw in regulation. The USA, which fell to the North Koreans, 1-0, in the semifinal, defeated England, 3-0, in the third-place match.
- Quite a few players who appeared for the USA in a FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup have gone on to play for the senior U.S. Women’s National Team, most notably Samantha Mewis, Kristie Mewis, Morgan Gautrat, Crystal Dunn (all of whom helped the USA reach the final in the inaugural tournament in 2008), Andi Sullivan, Midge Purce, Jane Campbell, Ashley Sanchez, Sophia Smith, Naomi Girma, Jaelin Howell and Trinity Rodman.
- One player from the USA’s 2022 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Team has already been called up to train with the senior team, that being Angel City FC defender Gisele Thompson.
- The USA missed the 2010 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup after falling in penalty kicks to Canada in the semifinal of the Concacaf qualifying tournament despite outscoring the opposition 38-0 over five games. The USA missed the 2014 U-17 Women’s World Cup after falling in penalty kicks to Mexico in the semifinal of the Concacaf qualifying tournament despite outscoring its opponents, 24-1.
- At the 2022 tournament in India, the USA had its best performance since the inaugural tournament, winning its group and then totally out-playing Nigeria in the quarterfinal. Despite outshooting the Flamingoes, 27-8, the USA gave up a controversial first-half penalty kick to allow Nigeria to draw even and then fell in a penalty kick shootout in a match that featured a long weather delay.
- At the 2024 tournament in the DR, the USA opened with a 2-1 loss to reigning champion Spain but rallied to defeat Colombia (2-0) and Korea Republic (5-0). Those results earned a berth to the quarterfinals where the USA exacted a measure of revenge on Nigeria, winning 2-0 to make the semifinal, but fell to the eventual champion Korea DPR, 1-0, before rallying to defeat England, 3-0, to take third.
2025 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Groups
Group A
Morocco
Brazil
Italy
Costa Rica
Group B
Korea DPR
Mexico
Cameroon
Netherlands
Group C
USA
Ecuador
China PR
Norway
Group D
Nigeria
Canada
France
Samoa
Group E
Spain
Colombia
Korea Republic
Ivory Coast
Group F
Japan
New Zealand
Zambia
Paraguay
