Bhubaneswar: The Kalinga Stadium here will host all the three group league matches of India in the upcoming FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. The matches will be played October 11, 14 and 17, FIFA and the local organising committee said in a release Wednesday. “Extremely happy and excited to know that Kalinga stadium will host the matches of the Indian women’s team,” Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said in a tweet.
The DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai will host the summit clash of the tournament October 30 while the semifinals of the World Cup will be played in Goa. The official draw will take place June 24th.
The 24 group stage games will conclude October 18. The matches of the U-17 World Cup will be shared among all three host states – Odisha, Goa and Maharashtra.
The quarter-final round of matches will be played October 21 and 22 following which the semifinals will be held October 26.
Tthe DY Patil Stadium and the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda, Goa will equally share the four World Cup quarterfinal games.
LOC project directors, Ankush Arora and Nandini Arora, in a joint statement said, “We are extremely grateful to FIFA, our host states and all other stakeholders for their continued support in the aligned vision of uplifting women’s football. The launch of the schedule is a significant moment on the road to the historic tournament. The preparations for hosting India’s second FIFA competition are progressing as per timelines. We remain confident of delivering a highly successful tournament, one which will provide a platform for future stars of women’s football to shine.”
A total of 32 games contested by 16 teams will decide the winner of the seventh edition of the World Cup.