FIFA President Gianni Infantino has called the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2025™ “a true milestone for women’s football” and praised Morocco for its work in developing the game during a video address that was part of the group-stage draw in the host country’s capital, Rabat.

The FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup™ will enter a new era when it kicks off on 17 October this year. Featuring an unprecedented 24 teams, the 2025 edition is the first since the FIFA Council’s decision of March 2024 to make it an expanded and annual competition.

The next five editions will be staged in Morocco, which becomes the first African nation to host the tournament, and Mr Infantino acknowledged it was a transformational moment in the history of the beautiful game.

“This tournament represents a true milestone for women's football as, for the first time in the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup history, 24 teams will participate, representing all six confederations, including Samoa from Oceania, appearing in their first ever FIFA tournament (this year),” said the FIFA President in a video message played during the draw, which featured four debutants in all, with Côte d’Ivoire, the Netherlands and Norway joining Samoa.

“At FIFA, we want to give young talents the very best opportunity to perform and compete against each other on the global stage. And that is exactly what the FIFA Under-17 Women's World Cup is.”

Football in Morocco has been on a steep upward trajectory in recent years. After the men’s senior team became the first African side to reach a FIFA World Cup™ semi-final in 2022, the women’s senior team progressed to the knockout stage of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ on their debut at that level.

Morocco made their debut at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup™ last year having done the same in the U-17 competition in 2022. The men’s team reached the quarter-finals of the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2023™ and also the last eight of the FIFA Futsal World Cup 2024™, the same year the North African country won a bronze medal in the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament.

Mr Infantino congratulated Royal Moroccan Football Association President Fouzi Lekjaa and his team for their work, and said hosting the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup would only add to the impressive momentum they have built behind football development.

“Football in Morocco has gone from strength to strength in recent years, and FIFA wants to build on that success and for it to shine not only here, but across the African continent, throughout the Arab world and beyond, looking towards the FIFA World Cup 2030, co-hosted of course by Morocco,” said Mr Infantino.

“This will be the first of five successive FIFA U-17 Women's World Cups to be staged in the country, bringing joy and happiness to millions of girls – and boys – inspiring future generations and uniting the world.”