Hosts India on Friday were clubbed with two-time champions Ghana, United States and two-time semi- finalists Colombia in a tough Group A of the upcoming FIFA Under 17 World Cup.
India would kick off their campaign against the USA on 6 October and clash with Colombia on 9 October before concluding the first phase with match against Ghana, winners in 1991 and 1995, on 12 October.
New Delhi will host India's all three Group matches.
The first match of the tournament will be between Colombia versus Ghana (Group A) and New Zealand versus Turkey (Group B) in New Delhi and Mumbai respectively.
India, by virtue of being hosts, were the first to be placed in Group A in the draw in which Rio Olympics silver medallist shuttler PV Sindhu and Indian football captain Sunil Chhetri took part along with football legends Esteban Cambiasso and Nwanko Kanu.
Apart from New Delhi, the other cities earmarked for the 6-28 October tournament are Mumbai, Kochi, Goa, Guwahati and Kolkata which will also host the final.
Two teams from each group along with the four best third placed teams in the preliminary phase will move to the round of 16 to be held from 16 October.
The quarter-finals are scheduled for 21-22 October and the semi-finals on 25 October in Guwahati and Navi Mumbai.
The third place game and the final are both scheduled in Kolkata on 28 October.
India, New Caledonia and Niger are making their debuts in the tournament.
India coach Luis Norton de Matos said that it was a tough group.
Each of these teams have had 10 years of competitive experience. But now that we know our group rivals we will work hard, view videos of all these teams and prepare well for the tough challenge. The first game is very important and we want to start with a victory.Norton de Matos
"Colombia is very strong in South America. Ghana and Mali are currently the best two in Africa. USA has a history of doing well over the last twenty years. But we are going to fight very hard," said the coach.
“This is the first step of developing football in the country. These Indian players can play good football and in a few years time they can fight against any country in the world,” he asserted.
For preparation, the Indian squad will play a quadrangular tournament in Mexico, featuring the hosts, Chile and Colombia from July end to first week of August, the coach said.
He also wanted the fans to come in big numbers to support the hosts.
They should be the 12th man and their passionate support would be a big boost for the players.Norton de Matos
All India Football Federation president Praful Patel said the players, with whom he had interacted, were all very happy with the present coach.
I have found out that the players are all very happy, excited and positive which is very important.Praful Patel
He also promised that all efforts would be made to fill the stadium in Delhi for the matches featuring India.
We will ensure all the India games are well attended. We have already discussed this with the ministry. I am sure wherever India plays the team will get good support.Praful Patel
(With inputs from PTI)
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