If you haven’t been watching the U20 Men’s World Cup, you should be.
This is the 24th edition of the U20 World Cup tournament and as of the time of this writing, the tournament is still ongoing and is currently in the round of 16 phase. Mexico and Spain have secured their spots in the quarter-finals after eliminating host Chile and Ukraine, respectively.
Now Argentina, Colombia, France, Norway, Morocco, and the USA have all joined the roster of teams that have booked their place in the quarterfinals.
Round of 16
Mexico defeated host country Chile in a 1-4 gol trouncing in Mexico’s favor after Chile made some rather untasteful comments about making marmalade of Mexico before the match.
Spain will feel they have taken a new breath of life after finishing third in their group and going on to eliminate a tough Ukrainian side with a singular gol.
Argentina’s 4 gols against Nigeria secured their spot in a quarter-final against Mexico, and Colombia will face European Champions Spain after eliminating South Africa in an exciting match that saw Colombia win 3 gols to 1.
In a hotly contested match, which saw Japan face off against the French, the winner was only decided after France was awarded a penalty in front of goal.
This happened after the full 90 minutes went goalless, forcing the teams into extra time, and after another 30 minutes of playtime, it was only in stoppage time for the second half of extra time that the penalty for France was awarded and the match decided.
Paraguay and Norway would also play a full 120 minutes plus added time, and the deadlock would only be broken by Norway in the 116th minute.
The US faced off against Italy and put 3 past their keeper. Italy had its fair share of chances and hit the post several times, but could not convert.
South Korea regrets the chances they missed, which left them out of the tournament after the final scoreline was 2-1 in Morocco’s favor.
New Innovations
There are a couple of new innovations and implementations that are currently being tested in this edition of the U-20 World Cup that you can also look forward to seeing in the 2026 World Cup.
One of those is the newly designed Adidas ball, named the TRIONDA, meaning “three waves”, and the other being the implementation of the new green card.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe TRIONDA is a celebration of the three nations that will be hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup tournament, and the colors and designs that are showcased on the ball reflect that.
Each match day football used in the 2026 World Cup will also come with the latest in Adidas’ Connected Ball Technology, in the form of a 500Hz inertial measurement unit motion sensor chip.
These chips will sit inside a specially created layer within one of the football’s four panels and help provide unprecedented insight into the movement of the ball.
Embed from Getty ImagesWhile we all know of yellow and red cards, which are at readily used by referees in football, the green card, a FIFA pilot project introduced in the U-20 World Cup, is to be used by the coaches of each team.
It’s a newly implemented rule that will allow coaches the ability to challenge the decisions of referees during a match. Coaches are allowed only 2 per match and can challenge decisions related to Gols, Player bookings, Penalties, or Mistaken identity.
You can look forward to seeing both the TRIONDA and the green card in full use in FIFA’s 2026 World Cup tournament.
What Lies Ahead
As for the men’s U-20 World Cup, the quarter finals are fast approaching, and the remaining 8 teams will be looking to their respective opponents and preparing.
Mexico will face off against Argentina in a rivalry that has spanned many decades.
Spain will face a Colombian side that finished top of their group.
The USA will face the dark horse Morocco.
And Norway will face off against France.
Everyone will be working extremely hard to move on to the semifinals and all the remaining teams will be hoping to be the ones to lift the trophy.
But there can only be one.
