Indonesia is hosting the U-17 FIFA World Cup. It will soon experience the thrill of the quarterfinals when the Round of 16 concludes. Only two games remain, with France and England waiting to lock horns with their respective opponents. England are the former champions, and France has had a waiting period since 2001 to take the title home.
England will first tackle Uzbekistan, and then France will land at the venue against African champions Senegal. Both events are on the same day in a time slot that follows one another. England finished their stage matches at the top of Group C, leaving Brazil behind with a GD of one. France is yet to lose a match in the global tournament, having won all of its league events.
A team that wins its Round of 16 will advance to the last eight, which is the quarterfinals. Per the popular favorites list, France and England are likely to meet in the quarterfinals. The stage already has six teams: Spain vs. Germany, Brazil vs. Argentina, and Mali vs. Morocco. It could soon add France vs. England.
The final event is scheduled for December 2, 2023. It will follow the contest for the third spot, scheduled for December 1, 2023. Football betting sites are pitching to see England and Brazil in the finals.
The qualification prospects for Uzbekistan are morbidly dismal. In the league stage, they have only won one event, lost one, and drawn the rest. They will incur significant losses if they challenge one of the contenders. Notably, with a GD of 10 against 9, England maintains its lead in the standings over Brazil. A narrow one-goal loss to Brazil constituted their only defeat. The tide turned in favor of the visitors when Elias and Mata scored in less than 15 minutes, separated by halftime, after Joel Ndala completed his assignment with a penalty kick in the 71st minute.
Senegal has defeated Argentina and Poland in their journey so far. But Japan put a halt to their winning streak by restricting them to a goalless event. Meeting France will have its own moments, assuming a 2-0 loss does not take their minds down.
In addition to their winning streak of two games, France is confident in their ability to prevent their opponents from scoring any goals. Burkina Faso, South Korea, and the United States all entered a period of severe difficulty as France amassed a total of seven goals, six of which occurred in two events each. Their most intensely competitive match was against South Korea, which concluded 1-0 in their favor. Mathis conceded a point within the initial four minutes, thereby requiring his team to defend the advantage.
France and England wait to face Uzbekistan and Senegal, respectively. Teams winning this game will meet in the quarterfinals of the FIFA U-17 World Cup.
