Sydney: Australia’s preparations for the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Peru have received a significant boost, with confirmation that a Joeys selection will travel to Antalya, Turkey next month to participate in a preparatory tournament to be hosted by UEFA.



The Joeys qualified for the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup after making the semi-finals of the 2018 AFC U16 Championship held in Malaysia last September, and one of the first components of the squad’s preparations for Peru will be fixtures against Turkey, Tanzania, and Guinea in Antalya between March 4 and 8.

Australia is the only nation outside of UEFA and CAF to receive an invitation to the preparatory tournament. The tournament will also feature teams from Morocco, Cameroon, Uganda, Montenegro, Senegal, Angola, Nigeria, and Belarus.


FFA Chief Executive Officer, David Gallop AM, said securing Australia’s participation in the tournament was the culmination of extensive discussions with UEFA.

“Our International Relations team has been working to establish strong relationships with confederations and associations around the world. These relationships in turn enable us to further our strategic objectives. In this case, it’s about building up the competitive opportunities for our youth national teams, so this is a major boost for our preparations for this year’s FIFA U-17 World Cup,” Gallop said.

“We thank UEFA for the opportunity. Playing international matches against players from Turkey, Tanzania and Guinea is unique for Australian footballers of any age or gender and will provide a brilliant chance for our boys to benchmark themselves against players of similar ages from different confederations.”

Peru (Host Nation), Australia, Japan, Korea Republic, Tajikistan, New Zealand and Solomon Islands have already qualified for the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup, with additional entrants from CAF, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, and UEFA to be determined over the coming months.

The 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup is on October 5-27, and FFA is currently exploring opportunities for the Joeys to participate in additional international tournaments on the path to Peru.Source: the-afc.com