2026 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup
International football competition
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The 2026 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup (Polish: Mistrzostwa Świata FIFA U-20 Kobiet Polska 2026) will be the 12th edition of the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, the biennial international women's youth football championship contested by the under-20 national teams of the member associations of FIFA. It will be hosted by Poland. It will be the second time that Poland has hosted a FIFA tournament having hosted the men's FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2019. It will also be the first time that Poland has hosted a FIFA women's tournament.[1]
| Mistrzostwa Świata FIFA U-20 Kobiet Polska 2026 | |
|---|---|
 Nowe gwiazdy na horyzoncie (Stars in the making) | |
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | Poland |
| Dates | 5–27 September |
| Teams | 24 (from 6 confederations) |
| Venues | 4 (in 4 host cities) |
← 2024 2028 → | |
North Korea are the defending champions, having won a joint-record third title in 2024.
Host selection
Poland were announced as the 2026 Women's U-20 World Cup hosts following the FIFA Council meeting on 17 December 2023 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.[2]
Teams
Qualification
A total of 24 teams qualify for the final tournament. In addition to Poland who qualified automatically as hosts, the other 23 teams qualify from six separate continental competitions. The slot allocation remains unchanged from the previous edition.
- AFC (Asia): 4
- CAF (Africa): 4
- CONCACAF (North America, Central America and the Caribbean): 4
- CONMEBOL (South America): 4
- OFC (Oceania): 2
- UEFA (Europe): 6 (including the hosts Poland).
The host nation Poland, Portugal, New Caledonia, Ecuador, Tanzania and Benin will make their debut at the U-20 Women's World Cup, with New Caledonia and Benin making their first appearance in a FIFA women's tournament.
For the first time ever Germany failed to qualify, having participated in all editions until 2024.
| Qualifying tournament | Team | Qualification date | Appearance(s) | Previous best performance | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | First | Last | Streak | ||||
| 2026 AFC U-20 Women's Asian Cup |  China |
11 April 2026 | 7th | 2004 | 2018 | 1 | Runners-up (2004, 2006) |
 Japan |
9th | 2002 | 2024 | 5 | Champions (2018) | ||
 North Korea |
12 April 2026 | 9th | 2006 | 2024 | 2 | Champions (2006, 2016, 2024) | |
 South Korea |
8th | 2004 | 2024 | 3 | Third place (2010) | ||
| 2026 African U-20 Women's World Cup qualification |  Ghana |
9 May 2026 | 8th | 2010 | 2024 | 8 | Group stage (seven times)[a] |
 Nigeria |
12th | 2002 | 2024 | 12 | Runners-up (2010, 2014) | ||
 Benin |
10 May 2026 | 1st | Debut | ||||
 Tanzania |
1st | Debut | |||||
| 2025 CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship |  Canada |
31 May 2025 | 10th | 2002 | 2024 | 3 | Runners-up (2002) |
 Mexico |
11th | 2002 | 2024 | 10 | Quarter-finals (2010, 2012, 2016, 2022) | ||
 United States |
1 June 2025 | 12th | 2002 | 2024 | 12 | Champions (2002, 2008, 2012) | |
 Costa Rica |
3 June 2025 | 5th | 2010 | 2024 | 3 | Group stage (2010, 2014, 2022, 2024) | |
| 2026 South American U-20 Women's Championship |  Brazil |
22 February 2026 | 12th | 2002 | 2024 | 12 | Third place (2006, 2022) |
 Ecuador |
1st | Debut | |||||
 Argentina |
28 February 2026 | 5th | 2006 | 2024 | 2 | Round of 16 (2024) | |
 Colombia |
4th | 2010 | 2024 | 3 | Fourth place (2010) | ||
| 2025 OFC U-19 Women's Championship |  New Caledonia |
1 October 2025 | 1st | Debut | |||
 New Zealand |
10th | 2006 | 2024 | 10 | Quarter-finals (2014) | ||
| Host nation |  Poland |
17 December 2023 | 1st | Debut | |||
| 2025 UEFA Women's U-19 Championship |  France |
18 June 2025 | 10th | 2002 | 2024 | 6 | Runners-up (2016) |
 Italy |
3rd | 2004 | 2012 | 1 | Group stage (2004, 2012) | ||
 England |
21 June 2025 | 6th | 2002 | 2018 | 1 | Third place (2018) | |
 Portugal |
1st | Debut | |||||
 Spain |
6th | 2004 | 2024 | 5 | Champions (2022) | ||
Draw
The draw took place on 15 May 2026 at the EC1 Cultural Center in Łódź, Poland.[3] The 24 teams were divided into four pots of 6, with hosts Poland automatically placed in Pot 1. The remaining teams were allocated according to a ranking based on performances in the last five editions of the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, with greater weight given to more recent tournaments.
Teams from Pots 1 to 4 will be drawn into Groups A to F, with each pot emptied before moving to the next. Poland will be assigned to position A1, while the remaining Pot 1 teams will automatically occupy position 1 in Groups B to F.
For each draw, a team ball will be drawn first, followed by a group-position ball determining its placement within the group. FIFA's general principle is to avoid, whenever possible, having more than one team from the same confederation in the same group.
| Pot | Team | Confederation | 2014 | 2016 | 2018 | 2022 | 2024 | Total points | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points (20%) |
Points (40%) |
Points (60%) |
Points (80%) |
Points (100%) | |||||||||
| 1 | Poland (H) | UEFA | Host nation, automatically assigned to Pot 1 | ||||||||||
| Japan | AFC | DNQ | 4.8 | 9 | 10.4 | 18 | 42.2 | ||||||
| Spain | UEFA | DNQ | 2.4 | 7.8 | 12.8 | 12 | 35 | ||||||
| North Korea | AFC | 1.4 | 7.2 | 3.6 | W | 21 | 33.2 | ||||||
| Brazil | CONMEBOL | 0.2 | 1.6 | 0.6 | 10.4 | 12 | 24.8 | ||||||
| France | UEFA | 2.6 | 4.4 | 6.6 | 5.6 | 4 | 23.2 | ||||||
| 2 | United States | CONCACAF | 1.4 | 3.2 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 13 | 22.4 | |||||
| Nigeria | CAF | 2.6 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 7.2 | 6 | 20.6 | ||||||
| Colombia | CONMEBOL | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | 4 | 13 | 17 | ||||||
| Mexico | CONCACAF | 0.4 | 2.4 | 1.8 | 4 | 4 | 12.6 | ||||||
| South Korea | AFC | 1 | 1.2 | DNQ | 2.4 | 4 | 8.6 | ||||||
| England | UEFA | 0.4 | DNQ | 6.6 | DNQ | DNQ | 7 | ||||||
| 3 | Ghana | CAF | 1.2 | 0.8 | 1.8 | 0 | 3 | 6.8 | |||||
| Canada | CONCACAF | 1.2 | 0 | DNQ | 0 | 4 | 5.2 | ||||||
| New Zealand | OFC | 1.2 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 1.6 | 0 | 4.6 | ||||||
| Argentina | CONMEBOL | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | 4 | 4 | ||||||
| China | AFC | 0.4 | DNQ | 2.4 | DNQ | DNQ | 2.8 | ||||||
| Costa Rica | CONCACAF | 0 | DNQ | DNQ | 0 | 0 | 0[a] | ||||||
| 4 | Italy | UEFA | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | 0[a] | |||||
| Portugal | UEFA | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | 0[a] | ||||||
| Ecuador | CONMEBOL | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | 0[a] | ||||||
| Benin | CAF | DNE | DNE | DNE | DNQ | DNQ | 0[a] | ||||||
| Tanzania | CAF | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | 0[a] | ||||||
| New Caledonia | OFC | DNE | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | 0[a] | ||||||
Venues
Łódź, Katowice, Sosnowiec, and Bielsko-Biała were the cities nominated to host the competition on 8 May 2025.[4] The official venues were announced by FIFA in 6 September 2025.[5]
| Łódź | Katowice |
|---|---|
| Stadion ŁKS | Arena Katowice |
| Capacity: 18,029 | Capacity: 15,048 |
 |
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| Sosnowiec | Bielsko-Biała |
| Zagłębie Sports Park | Stadion w Bielsku-Białej |
| Capacity: 11,600 | Capacity: 15,316 |
 |
 |
Marketing
Match officials
On 23 June 2026, FIFA confirmed that a total of 68 match officials have been appointed for the competition, comprising 18 referees, 36 assistant referees and 14 video match officials.[7][8]
| Confederation | Referee | Assistant referees | Video assistant referees |
|---|---|---|---|
| AFC | Asaka Koizumi |
 Riiohlang Dhar Amal Badhafari |
 Sivakorn Pu-udom |
 Casey Reibelt |
Emma Kocbek Madelaine Allum | ||
| Kim Yu-jeong |
 Heba Saadieh Supawan Hinthong | ||
| CAF |  Shamirah Nabadda |
 Fanta Kone Fides Bangourabona |
 Letticia Viana Maria Rivet Salima Mukansanga |
 Antsino Twanyanyukwa |
 Diana Chikotesha Carine Atezambong Fomo | ||
| CONCACAF | Alyssa Pennington |
Meghan Mullen Jassett Kerr-Wilson |
Diana Pérez Ismael Cornejo |
| Lizzet Amairany García Olvera |
Aranza Quero Aguilar Jéssica Morales | ||
| Marianela Araya |
 Shirley Perelló Lourdes Noriega | ||
| Myriam Marcotte |
Gabrielle Lemieux Mijensa Rensch | ||
| CONMEBOL |  Anahí Fernández |
Daiana Fernández Sofia Sarzay Castro |
María Victoria Daza Stefani Escobar Susana Corella Rodrigo Carvajal |
| Charly Straub |
Fernanda Gomes Antunes Anne Gomes de Sá | ||
| Dione Rissios |
Leslie Vásquez Yomara Salazar | ||
 Milagros Arruela |
Vera Yupanqui Mariana Aquino | ||
| UEFA |  Alina Peșu |
Daniela Constatinescu Heini Hyvönen |
 Angelos Evangelou Catarina Ferreira Eszter Urbán Jelena Jovanović-Džajić |
| Iuliana Demetrescu |
Paulina Baranowska Irina Pozdejeva | ||
| Maria Sole Ferrieri Caputi |
Stefania Signorelli Emily Carney | ||
| Marta Huerta de Aza |
Iragartze Fernández Andreia Sousa | ||
| Silvia Gasperotti |
Giulia Tempestilli Svitlana Grushko |
Group stage
All times are local, CEST (UTC+2).
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Poland (H) |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Knockout stage |
| 2 | Argentina |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | Mexico |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Possible knockout stage |
| 4 | Benin |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brazil |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Knockout stage |
| 2 | Tanzania |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | Canada |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Possible knockout stage |
| 4 | England |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Group C
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | France |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Knockout stage |
| 2 | South Korea |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | Ecuador |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Possible knockout stage |
| 4 | Ghana |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Group D
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japan |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Knockout stage |
| 2 | New Zealand |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | United States |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Possible knockout stage |
| 4 | Italy |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Group E
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Korea |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Knockout stage |
| 2 | Portugal |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | Costa Rica |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Possible knockout stage |
| 4 | Colombia |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Group F
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Caledonia |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Knockout stage |
| 2 | China |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | Spain |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Possible knockout stage |
| 4 | Nigeria |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Ranking of third-placed teams
The four best third-placed teams from the six groups advance to the knockout stage along with the six group winners and six runners-up.
| Pos | Grp | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | Third place Group A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Knockout stage |
| 2 | B | Third place Group B | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | C | Third place Group C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 4 | D | Third place Group D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 5 | E | Third place Group E | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 6 | F | Third place Group F | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Knockout stage
In the knockout stage, if a match was level at the end of normal playing time, extra time was played (two periods of fifteen minutes each) and followed, if necessary, by a penalty shoot-out to determine the winner.
Bracket
| Round of 16 | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | |||||||||||
| 16 September – Sosnowiec | ||||||||||||||
| 2A | ||||||||||||||
| 19 September – Sosnowiec | ||||||||||||||
| 2C | ||||||||||||||
| 16 September – Sosnowiec | ||||||||||||||
| 1D | ||||||||||||||
| 23 September – Łódź | ||||||||||||||
| 3B/E/F | ||||||||||||||
| 16 September – Katowice | ||||||||||||||
| 1B | ||||||||||||||
| 19 September – Sosnowiec | ||||||||||||||
| 3A/C/D | ||||||||||||||
| 16 September – Katowice | ||||||||||||||
| 1F | ||||||||||||||
| 27 September – Łódź | ||||||||||||||
| 2E | ||||||||||||||
| 17 September – Łódź | ||||||||||||||
| 1E | ||||||||||||||
| 20 September – Łódź | ||||||||||||||
| 2D | ||||||||||||||
| 17 September – Łódź | ||||||||||||||
| 1C | ||||||||||||||
| 23 September – Łódź | ||||||||||||||
| 3A/B/F | ||||||||||||||
| 17 September – Bielsko-Biała | ||||||||||||||
| Third place match | ||||||||||||||
| 2B | ||||||||||||||
| 20 September – Łódź | 26 September – Łódź | |||||||||||||
| 2F | ||||||||||||||
| 17 September – Bielsko-Biała | ||||||||||||||
| 1A | ||||||||||||||
| 3C/D/E | ||||||||||||||
Round of 16
| 2A | Match 37 | 2C |
|---|---|---|
| 1B | Match 38 | 3A/C/D |
|---|---|---|
| 1D | Match 40 | 3B/E/F |
|---|---|---|
| 1F | Match 44 | 2E |
|---|---|---|
| 1C | Match 42 | 3A/B/F |
|---|---|---|
| 2B | Match 43 | 2F |
|---|---|---|
| 1E | Match 39 | 2D |
|---|---|---|
| 1A | Match 41 | 3C/D/F |
|---|---|---|
Quarter-finals
| W37 | Match 46 | W40 |
|---|---|---|
| W38 | Match 45 | W44 |
|---|---|---|
| W43 | Match 48 | W41 |
|---|---|---|
| W39 | Match 47 | W42 |
|---|---|---|
Semi-finals
| W46 | Match 49 | W45 |
|---|---|---|
| W47 | Match 50 | W48 |
|---|---|---|
Bronze final
Final
Notes
- Tied on Points, ranked based on the ranking point result for the whole of the respective confederation from the most recent edition.