The U-20 World Cup 2023 is being held in Argentina from May 20 to June 11, and it is the most prestigious youth national-team tournament in men’s football.
The biennial tournament was held for the first time in 2019 after the 2021 edition was cancelled due to scheduling and logistical challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2023 U20 World Cup was originally scheduled to be held in Indonesia, but due to that country’s refusal to welcome Israel’s squad — the countries do not have diplomatic relations — FIFA decided to move the tournament to Argentina in March 2023.
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The favourites for the 2023 edition include France, Brazil, Italy, and England. Argentina, which had previously failed to qualify from South America, has been designated as the host nation and will undoubtedly compete on home soil.
Defending champions Ukraine failed to qualify for the 2023 tournament, losing on a cards tiebreaker in the second stage of European qualifying.
U20 World Cup format
A total of 24 nations qualified for the 2023 FIFA Under-20 World Cup via qualifying tournaments held in their respective regions.
The participating nations hail from Asia (4 spots), Africa (4), North America (4), South America (4), Oceania (2), and Europe (5) with Argentina participating as the host nation.
The 24 countries were divided into groups A-F via a group-stage draw held on April 21, 2023. The top two teams in each group, along with the four best third-place finishers will advance to the Round of 16.
- Group Stage: May 20-28
- Round of 16: May 30-June 1
- Quarterfinals: June 3-4
- Semifinals: June 8
- 3rd Place: June 11
- Final: June 11
The 52 total matches will take place in four cities in Argentina: Mendoza, La Plata, Santiago del Estero, and San Juan. The final will take place in La Plata’s Estadio Unico on Sunday, June 11.
Each of the 52 matches will kick off in one of three local time slots and here’s how those translate across different regions of the world.
U20 World Cup times
| Stage(s) | Local (Argentina) | USA & Canada (EDT) | UK (GMT) | Australia (AEST) | India (IST) |
| Knockout stage only | 2:30 p.m. | 1:30 p.m. | 6:30 p.m. | 3:30 a.m. | 11 p.m. |
| Group stage only | 3 p.m. | 2 p.m. | 7 p.m. | 4 a.m. | 11:30 p.m. |
| Group stage & knockouts | 6 p.m. | 5 p.m. | 10 p.m. | 7 a.m. | 2:30 a.m. |
U20 World Cup 2023 schedule, fixtures
The complete schedule, group standings and knockout-round pairings follow below.
Group A table & fixtures
| Team | PTS | GP | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. New Zealand | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 |
| 2. Argentina | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3. Uzbekistan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4. Guatemala | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -1 |
- Q = Qualified to Round of 16
- E = Eliminated
Group A match schedule
| Date | Match | Time (ET / GMT) |
| Sat, May 20 | Guatemala 0-1 New Zealand | Highlights |
| Sat, May 20 | Argentina vs. Uzbekistan | 5 p.m. / 10 p.m. |
| Tue, May 23 | Uzbekistan vs. New Zealand | 2 p.m. / 7 p.m. |
| Tue, May 23 | Argentina vs. Guatemala | 5 p.m. / 10 p.m. |
| Fri, May 26 | New Zealand vs. Argentina | 5 p.m. / 10 p.m. |
| Fri, May 26 | Uzbekistan vs. Guatemala | 5 p.m. / 10 p.m. |
Group B table & fixtures
| Team | PTS | GP | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. USA | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 |
| 2. Fiji | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3. Slovakia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4. Ecuador | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -1 |
- Q = Qualified to Round of 16
- E = Eliminated
Group B match schedule
| Date | Match | Time (ET / GMT) |
| Sat, May 20 | USA 1-0 Ecuador | Highlights |
| Sat, May 20 | Fiji vs. Slovakia | 5 p.m. / 10 p.m. |
| Tue, May 23 | USA vs. Fiji | 2 p.m. / 7 p.m. |
| Tue, May 23 | Ecuador vs. Slovakia | 5 p.m. / 10 p.m. |
| Fri, May 26 | Ecuador vs. Fiji | 2 p.m. / 10 p.m. |
| Fri, May 26 | Slovakia vs. USA | 2 p.m. / 10 p.m. |
Group C table & fixtures
| Team | PTS | GP | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Colombia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2. Israel | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3. Japan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4. Senegal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
- Q = Qualified to Round of 16
- E = Eliminated
Group C match schedule
| Date | Match | Time (ET / GMT) |
| Sun, May 21 | Israel vs. Colombia | 2 p.m. / 7 p.m. |
| Sun, May 21 | Senegal vs. Japan | 5 p.m. / 10 p.m. |
| Wed, May 24 | Senegal vs. Israel | 2 p.m. / 7 p.m. |
| Wed, May 24 | Japan vs. Colombia | 5 p.m. / 10 p.m. |
| Sat, May 27 | Colombia vs. Senegal | 5 p.m. / 10 p.m. |
| Sat, May 27 | Japan vs. Israel | 5 p.m. / 10 p.m. |
Group D table & fixtures
| Team | PTS | GP | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Brazil | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2. Dominican Rep. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3. Italy | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4. Nigeria | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
- Q = Qualified to Round of 16
- E = Eliminated
Group D match schedule
| Date | Match | Time (ET / GMT) |
| Sun, May 21 | Nigeria vs. Dominican Rep. | 2 p.m. / 7 p.m. |
| Sun, May 21 | Italy vs. Brazil | 5 p.m. / 10 p.m. |
| Wed, May 24 | Italy vs. Nigeria | 2 p.m. / 7 p.m. |
| Wed, May 24 | Brazil vs. Dominican Rep. | 5 p.m. / 10 p.m. |
| Sat, May 27 | Brazil vs. Nigeria | 2 p.m. / 7 p.m. |
| Sat, May 27 | Dominican Rep. vs. Italy | 2 p.m. / 7 p.m. |
Group E table & fixtures
| Team | PTS | GP | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. England | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2. Iraq | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3. Tunisia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4. Uruguay | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
- Q = Qualified to Round of 16
- E = Eliminated
Group E match schedule
| Date | Match | Time (ET / GMT) |
| Mon, May 22 | England vs. Tunisia | 2 p.m. / 7 p.m. |
| Mon, May 22 | Uruguay vs. Iraq | 5 p.m. / 10 p.m. |
| Thu, May 25 | Uruguay vs. England | 2 p.m. / 7 p.m. |
| Thu, May 25 | Iraq vs. Tunisia | 5 p.m. / 10 p.m. |
| Sun, May 28 | Iraq vs. England | 2 p.m. / 7 p.m. |
| Sun, May 28 | Tunisia vs. Uruguay | 2 p.m. / 7 p.m. |
Group F table & fixtures
| Team | PTS | GP | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. France | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2. Gambia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3. Honduras | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4. South Korea | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
- Q = Qualified to Round of 16
- E = Eliminated
Group F match schedule
| Date | Match | Time (ET / GMT) |
| Mon, May 22 | France vs. South Korea | 2 p.m. / 7 p.m. |
| Mon, May 22 | Gambia vs. Honduras | 5 p.m. / 10 p.m. |
| Thu, May 25 | France vs. Gambia | 2 p.m. / 7 p.m. |
| Thu, May 25 | South Korea vs. Honduras | 5 p.m. / 10 p.m. |
| Sun, May 28 | Honduras vs. France | 5 p.m. / 10 p.m. |
| Sun, May 28 | South Korea vs. Gambia | 5 p.m. / 10 p.m. |
Knockout Stages
The single-elimination knockout rounds will consist of the Round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, final, and third-place match.
Any knockout matches tied after 90 minutes will head to 30 minutes of extra time and a penalty shootout, if necessary.
U20 World Cup Round of 16
| Date | Match | Time (ET / GMT) |
| Tue, May 30 | RD16 #1: B1 vs. A3/C3/D3 | 1:30 p.m. / 6:30 p.m. |
| Tue, May 30 | RD16 #2: A2 vs. C2 | 5 p.m. / 10 p.m. |
| Wed, May 31 | RD16 #3: D1 vs. B3/E3/F3 | 1:30 p.m. / 6:30 p.m. |
| Wed, May 31 | RD16 #4: C1 vs. A3/B3/F3 | 1:30 p.m. / 6:30 p.m. |
| Wed, May 31 | RD16 #5: E1 vs. D2 | 5 p.m. / 10 p.m. |
| Wed, May 31 | RD16 #6: A1 vs. C3/D3/E3 | 5 p.m. / 10 p.m. |
| Thu, June 1 | RD16 #7: F1 vs. E2 | 1:30 p.m. / 6:30 p.m. |
| Thu, June 1 | RD16 #8: B2 vs. F2 | 5 p.m. / 10 p.m. |
U20 World Cup Quarterfinals
| Date | Match | Time (ET / GMT) |
| Sat, June 3 | QF1: RD16 #2 vs. RD16 #3 | 1:30 p.m. / 6:30 p.m. |
| Sat, June 3 | QF2: RD16 #4 vs. RD16 #5 | 5 p.m. / 10 p.m. |
| Sun, June 4 | QF3: RD16 #8 vs. RD16 #6 | 1:30 p.m. / 6:30 p.m. |
| Sun, June 4 | QF4: RD16 #1 vs. RD16 #7 | 5 p.m. / 10 p.m. |
U20 World Cup Semifinals
| Date | Match | Time (ET / GMT) |
| Thu, June 8 | QF4 vs. QF1 | 1:30 p.m. / 6:30 p.m. |
| Thu, June 8 | QF2 vs. QF3 | 5 p.m. / 10 p.m. |
U20 World Cup 3rd Place
| Date | Match | Time (ET / GMT) |
| Sun, June 11 | Semifinal losers | 1:30 p.m. / 6:30 p.m. |
U20 World Cup Final
| Date | Match | Time (ET / GMT) |
| Sun, June 11 | Semifinal winners | 5 p.m. / 10 p.m. |
Credit: Sporting News
