FIFA U-17 World Cup Draw 2015: Chile Dates, Schedule for All Group Fixtures
FIFA announced the groups and draw for the U-17 World Cup on Thursday, with more than one Group of Death and an intriguing set of matchups on tap for the group stage.
Below, you'll find the group draw, schedule for the opening phase of the tournament and a preview.
Draw
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| A | Chile, Croatia, Nigeria, United States |
| B | England, Guinea, Brazil, South Korea |
| C | Australia, Germany, Mexico, Argentina |
| D | Belgium, Mali, Honduras, Ecuador |
| E | South Africa, Costa Rica, North Korea, Russia |
| F | New Zealand, France, Syria, Paraguay |
Group Stage Schedule
| 1 | B | Oct. 17 | 3. p.m. | England vs. Guinea |
| 2 | A | Oct. 17 | 4 p.m. | Nigeria vs. United States |
| 3 | B | Oct. 17 | 6 p.m. | Brazil vs. South Korea |
| 4 | A | Oct. 17 | 7 p.m. | Chile vs. Croatia |
| 5 | C | Oct. 18 | 3. p.m. | Australia vs. Germany |
| 6 | D | Oct. 18 | 4 p.m. | Belgium vs. Mali |
| 7 | C | Oct. 18 | 3. p.m. | Mexico vs. Argentina |
| 8 | D | Oct. 18 | 4 p.m. | Honduras vs. Ecuador |
| 9 | E | Oct. 19 | 4 p.m. | South Africa vs. Costa Rica |
| 10 | F | Oct. 19 | 4 p.m. | New Zealand vs. France |
| 11 | E | Oct. 19 | 7 p.m. | North Korea vs. Russia |
| 12 | F | Oct. 19 | 7 p.m. | Syria vs. Paraguay |
| 13 | A | Oct. 20 | 4 p.m. | United States vs. Croatia |
| 14 | B | Oct. 20 | 4 p.m. | England vs. Brazil |
| 15 | A | Oct. 20 | 7 p.m. | Chile vs. Nigeria |
| 16 | B | Oct. 20 | 7 p.m. | South Korea vs. Guinea |
| 17 | C | Oct. 21 | 4 p.m. | Australia vs. Mexico |
| 18 | D | Oct. 21 | 4 p.m. | Belgium vs. Honduras |
| 19 | C | Oct. 21 | 7 p.m. | Argentina vs. Germany |
| 20 | D | Oct. 21 | 7 p.m. | Ecuador vs. Mali |
| 21 | E | Oct. 22 | 4 p.m. | South Africa vs. North Korea |
| 22 | F | Oct. 22 | 4 p.m. | New Zealand vs. Syria |
| 23 | E | Oct. 22 | 7 p.m. | Russia vs. Costa Rica |
| 24 | F | Oct. 22 | 7 p.m. | Paraguay vs. France |
| 25 | B | Oct. 23 | 4 p.m. | Guinea vs. Brazil |
| 26 | B | Oct. 23 | 4 p.m. | South Korea vs. England |
| 27 | A | Oct. 23 | 7 p.m. | United States vs. Chile |
| 28 | A | Oct. 23 | 7 p.m. | Croatia vs. Nigeria |
| 29 | D | Oct. 24 | 4 p.m. | Mali vs. Honduras |
| 30 | D | Oct. 24 | 4 p.m. | Ecuador vs. Belgium |
| 31 | C | Oct. 24 | 7 p.m. | Argentina vs. Australia |
| 32 | C | Oct. 24 | 7 p.m. | Germany vs. Mexico |
| 33 | F | Oct. 25 | 4 p.m. | France vs. Syria |
| 34 | F | Oct. 25 | 4 p.m. | Paraguay vs. New Zealand |
| 35 | E | Oct. 25 | 7 p.m. | Russia vs. South Africa |
| 36 | E | Oct. 25 | 7 p.m. | Costa Rica vs. North Korea |
Preview
This isn't an easy draw for the United States. In fact, outside of the loaded Group C that includes Argentina, Germany and Mexico, the United States' draw of Chile, Croatia and Nigeria is the most difficult of the tournament.
Every team in Group A has a claim to fame or a reason they'll be particularly difficult to beat. Chile is the host nation. Nigeria is the defending U-17 champion. Croatia has a very strong youth program and U-17 team, traditionally.
Frankly, it's a brutal draw for a United States side that didn't even qualify for the 2013 tournament. This is a new crop of players, of course, but the hope was, coming into this year, that the country could do better than 2011's elimination in the Round of 16.
Now, getting out of the group at all—even with four third-place teams qualifying for the knockout phase of the tournament—will be a huge test.
For United States star and Borussia Dortmund prospect Christian Pulisic, facing Croatia will be particularly intriguing. The youngster has a Croatian passport due to his father's ancestry, which thereby allowed him to sign with Dortmund, but one would imagine the Croatians would love to have him play for their national team.
Pulisic remains committed to the United States, however, and will be the driving force behind the team's difficult trek through the group stage. His experience with Dortmund should aid him greatly, including one day when he was called to train with the senior side.
“When I first got called in, I was thinking, ‘These guys are pros, am I good enough to play with them?’ he told USSoccer.com in March. "When you go there, obviously you can see how good and how talented they all are. Then you realize, ‘OK, I’ve really worked at this. I can hang with these guys.’”
Alongside host nation Chile, defending champions Nigeria, the always dangerous Argentina and South American champions Brazil, France may be the team to watch out for after their conquest in the European Championships last year. Odsonne Edouard, who scored eight goals at that tournament, leads a very talented French side.
FIFA.com has more on the Euro champions:
""This team came here to achieve a great result, but that’s not the most important thing. What counts is to play good football,” said France coach Jean-Claude Giuntini following their European title success.
Should his charges reproduce the same kind of form in Chile, they will be very hard to beat. Packed with hugely promising players, Giuntini’s side bears comparison with the famous Generation of '87, a team that featured the likes of Karim Benzema, Samir Nasri and Hatem Ben Arfa and which won the continental crown in 2004.
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Those are lofty comparisons, indeed, but if ever a French team seemed capable of living up to them, this one does.
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