FIFA U-17 World Cup : Round of 16 Set to Kick-off Today

FIFA Under-17 World Cup in India will now move onto the knockout stages with the Round of set to get underway.

We have now progressed into the knockout stages of the tournament where things start to get exciting and there are no scopes for carelessness because one mistake can result in an exit from the World Cup. The teams which have qualified for the next round includes Germany, Colombia, Paraguay, USA. Iran, Mexico, France, Spain, Mali, Iraq, England, Japan. Ghana, Niger, Brazil and Honduras.

The pre-quarterfinals have some exciting match-ups on the cards right from Day 1. The Colombia vs Germany match — which features a well-oiled European side and a South American side that has gotten better with every match this tournament — should bring out some fireworks.AOn the same night, Paraguay faces USA at the same venue.

On Tuesday there are four matches which are scheduled to take place beginning with Iran against Mexico. Another exciting contest which will be worth looking out for is France vs Spain. Later on the same day, Mali faces Iraq, while England square-off against Japan. While England remain firm favourites to make it through, one team to look out for will be Iran.AIran, who shocked the Germans in the group stage, look like the team to beat in the knockouts.

Then there are the powerhouses – Brazil and Spain, who came out of the a?Group of Deatha (Group D) as the top two teams.

Finally, the round of 16 culminates on Wednesday, where the two African countries, Ghana and Niger collide against each other in Mumbai. Later on, the same night firm favourites Brazil face Honduras in Kochi.