Georgia and Armenia will host the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2029
For the first time, the two South Caucasus nations will host a FIFA tournament when Georgia and Armenia serve as co-hosts of the 2029 U-20 World Cup, as announced by the international soccer governing body.
On the eve of the 76th FIFA Congress, the combined proposal was approved at a FIFA Council session held in Vancouver, Canada on April 28.
Twenty-four teams compete in the championship round of the tournament, which has been held biennially since 1977.
The Football Federation of Armenia (FFA) described it as an exceptional accomplishment, telling Xinhua that it demonstrates the international football community’s great trust and will provide young Armenian players and supporters the chance to experience a World Cup environment in their own nation.
The FFA president, Armen Melikbekyan, stated that holding this competition is crucial for both federations. He went on to say that he is certain that both Georgia and Armenia will host the World Cup with honor and do all they can to ensure the event stands out in the annals of FIFA’s youth tournaments.
The tournament will have a long-lasting impact on the growth of football in the area, according to Levan Kobiashvili, president of the Georgian Football Federation (GFF).
For the first time in the history of independent Georgian football, we will host a world-class competition under the auspices of FIFA, making this a truly remarkable occasion, according to Kobiashvili.
Since the first event in 1977, which Tunisia hosted under its previous name of FIFA World Youth Championship, which persisted until 2005, the competition has been held every two years. The event’s current name was adopted in 2007.
The men’s Under-20 World Cup is promoted by FIFA as the tournament of tomorrow’s superstars.
Twenty-three tournaments have been staged so far, and twelve different countries have won the championship. Brazil U20 has five championships, making it the second-most successful team behind Argentina U20, which has six.
In the previous edition of the tournament, which took place in Chile in 2025, Morocco took first place. Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan will co-host the following edition in 2027.