Qatar forward says hosting the youth championship in Aspire a fitting tribute to the country’s talent factory.
Qatar national team forward Almoez Ali has hailed the upcoming edition of the FIFA Under-17 World Cup, set to be held in Qatar, as a mainspring for the next generation of players.
Ali, now Qatar’s top scorer with 60 goals in 123 caps, was a part of the U-20 team that lifted the Asian youth championship in 2014. That triumphant group of players was entirely made up of Aspire Academy graduates, based in the Aspire Zone, which will host the upcoming tournament in November.
“The FIFA U-17 World Cup taking place at Aspire Zone will be a huge motivation for this next generation of players. They will all be looking to perform their best on the pitch. I’m sure they know how important this experience will be for their future,” Ali said.
Only 100 days remain until the kickoff of the first FIFA World Cup featuring 48 teams, ushering in a new generation of young players to shine on a global stage.
A total of 104 matches will be held in eight pitches of Aspire’s Competition Complex with the final set to be played at the Khalifa International Stadium, one of the eight venues that hosted the FIFA World Cup 2022.
For Ali, hosting the FIFA U-17 World Cup Qatar 2025 at the iconic venue will be a fitting tribute to the exemplary work done by the Academy in shaping Qatar’s sports landscape, which has produced world and Olympic champions across disciplines.
“Being a part of the Aspire Academy as a young player and student in an environment that
seamlessly merged academics with football really encouraged me to pursue the sport full
time,” Ali said.
“We played against the best teams from Europe, Africa and South America. Competing against that type of pedigree was really important to us.”
Qatar are one of six Arab teams that have qualified for the tournament, joined by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco. The hosts have been flanked alongside Italy, South Africa and Bolivia in Group A.
Al Annabi will start their campaign facing Italy on November 3 and will look to improve on Qatar‘s highest achievement in the competition, when they finished in fourth place in 1991.
“For young players taking part in a competition with the magnitude of the World Cup, this
will be a reminder of how hard work can enable you to play on the biggest stage, in the
biggest tournaments,” Ali added.
“I am sure that this tournament will have huge benefit on the players, and that they will cherish the experience and learn and grow from it.”
Qatar was officially announced as the host of the next five tournaments in March 2024 ahead of the 74th FIFA Congress, deciding to hold it annually rather than biennially. Morocco was given a similar five-edition hosting rights for the women’s U-17 World Cup.
After becoming the first-ever country in the Arab world to host the senior men’s World Cup in 2022, Qatar will repeat the same feat for the U-17 tournament.
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