AIFF keen on India hosting FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in 2020 after missing out on men's U-20 showpiece event

Despite having their bid for the men’s FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2019 rejected by FIFA, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) is keen on hosting another World Cup in the near future after last year’s successful FIFA U-17 World Cup. This is why AIFF, the governing body for football in India, has indicated to FIFA that they would like to host the next edition of the U-20 Women’s World Cup in 2020, according to a report in The Times of India. [caption id=“attachment_3794623” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Navi Mumbai’s Dr DY Patil Stadium hosted FIFA U-17 World Cup matches. Image courtesy: FIFA[/caption] “We are examining the possibility of bidding for the U-20 Women’s World Cup in 2020. If you look at the FIFA U-17 World Cup, it gave such a fillip for the game in the country, and we expect the (U-20) Women’s World Cup to do the same for women’s football,” AIFF General Secretary Kushal Das told The Times. While Poland were the preferred destination to host next year’s U-20 men’s World Cup, there is a chance that the world governing body for football could pick India. What will go in India’s favour is the fact that the country already has six stadiums — Navi Mumbai’s Dr DY Patil Sports Stadium, Goa’s Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kolkata’s Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, Guwahati’s Indira Gandhi Athletic International Stadium, Kochi’s Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium and New Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium — which meet the FIFA requirements, having hosted the U-17 World Cup. India were also keen on hosting the 2023 AFC Asian Cup . However, at the moment only South Korea and China are in the fray. AIFF chief Praful Patel, while discussing India’s interest in bidding for the 2019 U-20 World Cup had pointed out that hosting youth FIFA tournaments would help ‘sustain the footballing momentum’ created by the U-17 World Cup. “With India hosting the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 this year in October, we feel hosting the U-20 World Cup would be the best way to sustain the footballing momentum in India,” he had said last year.