The South American U-17 championship begins today, March 21, as under-17 players in the region prepare to do battle
in Lima (Peru).
The tournament will run from March 21 to April 14, and all 35 fixtures will be staged at Estadio Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos in the Peruvian capital.
Ten national sides will be split into two groups of five, with the best three from each advancing to a six-team final round starting on April 2.
The four World Cup positions will be assigned using a mini-league format at the hexagonal stage.
In case Brazil ends up in the top four, the last qualifying berth will go to the fifth-place side.
Group A includes Peru (the host), Ecuador, Bolivia, Venezuela, and Chile, whereas Group B teams are Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Uruguay, and Paraguay.
Peruvians are under pressure to finish in the top four after FIFA stripped the Andean nation of the U-17 World Cup hosting rights, since as hosts they got an automatic berth for Brazil 2019.
The San Marcos stadium —recently refurbished for the
Pan-American Games Lima 2019— will be used for the first time during these South American qualifiers.
(END) NDP/RMB/MVB
Publicado: 21/3/2019