U-17 Women's World Cup

Santo Domingo, Oct 14 (PL) The stadium of the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM), in Santiago de los Caballeros, will host next Wednesday the opening match of the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, to be held in the Dominican Republic.

The Dominican Republic and Ecuador will open the tournament, which will feature some of the best young talent in international women's soccer, from October 16 to November 3.

For the first time the Dominican Republic will host an official FIFA event, which reinforces the country's commitment to the development of the sport, said its directors.

Two soccer fields have been prepared for the World Cup, the Félix Sánchez Olympic Stadium in the capital and the PUCMM, informed the president of the Organizing Committee of the Games, Ana Bonetti.

In this edition, 16 teams will participate: Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Spain, United States, England, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, New Zealand, Poland, Republic of Korea, Dominican Republic, and Zambia.

The 16 teams will compete for the crown currently held by Spain, after beating Colombia in the last tournament held in India two years ago.

Spain beat the South American nation 1-0 in the final of the tournament, thus revalidating the title won in the 2018 edition, held in Uruguay.

FIFA reported that all teams have confirmed their squads and highlighted that Ecuador, Kenya, and Poland will debut in the tournament.

This edition will be the last one in which 16 teams will participate, as there will be 24 from now on.