FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup: Navi Mumbai to host final, India to play group league in Bhubaneswar

FIFA and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) announced on Wednesday. Bhubaneswar is set to host India's three group stage matches beginning on October 11. The official draw will take place on June 24th.

The 24 group stage games will conclude on October 18 and the matches will be shared among all three host states – Odisha, Goa and Maharashtra. The quarter-final round of games will be held on October 21 and 22 following which the semi-finals will be held on October 26. The Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar will see hosts India compete in all three group stage games on October 11, 14 and 17.

Meanwhile, the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai and the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda will share the four quarterfinal games. LOC Project Directors, Ankush Arora and Nandini Arora, in a joint statement said, "We are extremely grateful to FIFA, our host states and all other stakeholders for their continued support in the aligned vision of uplifting women's football. "The launch of the schedule is a significant moment on the road to the historic tournament.

The preparations for hosting India's second FIFA competition are progressing as per timelines and we remain confident of delivering a highly successful tournament, one which will provide a platform for future stars of women's football to shine." A total of 32 games contested by 16 teams will decide the winner of the seventh edition of the biennial youth tournament over 10 match-days, with each venue hosting double headers on each matchday. Promoting women in leadership, the LOC has equipped the Indian footballing ecosystem with 162 female coaches in the grassroots through its legacy initiative, the Coach Education Scholarship Programme. Further editions of both,