FIFA U-17 World Cup 2025 player analysis

• The relative age effect (RAE) was strong at this FIFA U-17 World Cup. The first quarter was over-represented across all six confederations, with 39.4% of players born during this three-month period compared to 15.1% in the final quarter.

• Most players (86.2%) competed for clubs within their own national association, with exceptions in countries with large emigrant communities, such as Morocco and El Salvador.

• A high proportion of players (78.2%) were affiliated with first-division clubs. However, CAF associations relied more on academies, while countries such as Portugal and Tajikistan displayed highly centralised youth development systems.

For this study, we analysed the dates of birth of the 1,008 players selected, their clubs, countries of employment and the stability of the youth national teams. Furthermore, we compared the results obtained with those of the previous edition, the FIFA U-17 World Cup Indonesia 2023™.

This new edition increases the number of participating teams considerably (from 24 to 48) and the frequency (biennial to annual). The 48 teams are allocated across the six continental confederations in descending order of representation as follows: UEFA (11 qualified nations), CAF (10), the AFC (9), Concacaf(8), CONMEBOL (7), and the OFC (3). Additionally, five associations participated in a U-17 World Cup final tournament for the first time (El Salvador, Fiji, Republic of Ireland, Uganda, Zambia), while seven have won the competition previously, namely Brazil (four times), Mexico (two times), as well as England, France, Germany, Saudi Arabia and Switzerland (one time each).

An analysis of the birth dates of the selected players allows for an understanding of their distribution by year and month of birth.

Year of birth

Regarding the year of birth, 83.9% of players were born in 2008, while the remaining 16.1% were born in subsequent years. There were only 15 players born in 2010 — Mali’s Aboubacar Camara being the youngest. He began competing on November 3 at the age of 14 years, 11 months and 26 days. In 2023, the percentage per year of birth was almost identical, with 85.1% born in 2006 and 14.9% in later years.

On average, African teams were the youngest among the participants. Aside from Tajikistan, the leading positions in the table were occupied by CAF associations. In contrast, European teams typically featured more experienced players. These patterns also highlighted questions regarding the presence of U-15 or U-16 national teams, which provide young athletes with opportunities to compete internationally, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and the Pacific regions.

Relative Age Effect

The analysis by month of birth allows for the testing of the relative age effect (RAE). This concept refers to the typical over-representation of players born in the months immediately preceding the selected limit for defining an age category. In this case, the selection cut-off date is January. Generally, these players are at a competitive advantage due to their more advanced age, as well as physical and psychosocial development, compared to players born later in the year.

When the 12 months were divided into four birth quartiles, there was a large effect across the sample. 39.4% of players were born in the first quarter of the year (January-March), compared to 27.4% in the second quarter (April-June), 18% in the third quarter (July-September), and 15.1% in the fourth quarter (October-December). In contrast to the 2023 edition, the RAE appears less pronounced, where 46.4% of players were born in the first quarter and only 8.6% in the final quarter.

Note: For this RAE analysis, we have removed four players whose dates of birth could not be verified.

Examining the data by confederation reveals a higher proportion of players born in the first quarter of the year across the whole sample. This trend was particularly evident in the OFC (52.4%) and UEFA (48.5%) associations. By contrast, players from CAF associations were distributed much more evenly throughout the year, with only 28.8% born in the first quarter. In comparison to 2023, only UEFA and the AFC recorded an increase in the number of players born in the first quarter, with the other confederations experiencing a decline.

Significant differences existed at the association level between Austria — where two-thirds of the players were born in the first quarter — and Burkina Faso — where only two players were born between January and March. The case of Austria reflects the philosophy of the youth training system, which emphasises early selection and intensive training through club academies and sport-focused schools. These institutions tend to favour players who are more mature physically and cognitively, often born earlier in the year, which reinforces selection biases. On the contrary, several African U-17 teams showed little to no RAE and had a significant proportion of players born in the last quarter of the year. This contrasts sharply with other confederations and reflects structural differences in youth development. In many African countries, talent identification occurs later and is less rigid, allowing for a broader range of birth dates.

Players born in the first quarter were over-represented across all positions, with a marginal predominance among goalkeepers and defenders. In men’s football, where the RAE remains a significant factor, defensive roles appeared particularly impacted, likely due to the early prioritisation of physical attributes during the youth selection process.

The average height of players selected for this FIFA U-17 World Cup was 179.1 centimetres (cm). The shortest player in the tournament stood at 1.50 metres (m), while the tallest was 1.99 m. Players from European associations were taller, with an average height exceeding 1.80 m. In contrast, teams from Concacaf and the OFC generally featured players with lower average heights.

All FIFA U-17 World Cup players were linked to clubs and may play on several teams. For this analysis, each player is listed by the national level of their club’s top team. For example, Gil Zufferey plays for Young Boys Bern U-21 but is counted as part of BSC Young Boys in Switzerland’s first division. Some players were also affiliated with academic or youth-development organisations that do not compete in adult national leagues.

Diversity of the clubs

The 1,008 players that participated in Qatar represent 505 different clubs, with significant variation across national associations. In El Salvador and Tunisia, players are affiliated with 17 distinct clubs each, reflecting a highly dispersed player base. At the national level, no single club dominates, and nearly half of the selected young footballers are employed abroad. Mali presents a similarly diverse structure, with players coming from nine youth academies and six senior clubs. This dispersion highlights a rich and varied ecosystem for youth development, where multiple pathways coexist.

In contrast, Portugal’s squad was heavily concentrated in a few elite clubs. SL Benfica and FC Porto alone contributed to two-thirds of the national team’s composition, illustrating a centralised model of talent development. Tajikistan showed a similar pattern, with 15 of its 21 players affiliated with just two clubs based in Dushanbe (FC Dushanbe-83 and FC Istiklol). Uzbekistan followed a comparable structure, where Pakhtakor Tashkent FK and the Odil Junior Sport School academy supplied 14 members to the national squad. These examples reflect more centralised systems, where a small number of institutions dominate youth player production.

First-division clubs

At the beginning of the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2025, 78.2% of the selected players were affiliated with clubs competing in the top national division. This figure is close to the 2023 level (80.2%), confirming the growing importance of first-division clubs in identifying and developing young talent. These clubs increasingly serve as key platforms for early exposure to elite football.

European, American and Asian youth national teams showed above-average rates of first-division affiliation. In contrast, players from the OFC and CAF were less likely to be linked to top-tier clubs. This difference is largely due to the strong presence of public and private development structures — such as academies and training centres — which play a central role in nurturing young players outside the professional league system.

Among the 48 associations, five had all of their players affiliated with first-division clubs. Many have structured their economic models around the international development and transfer of young talents. In both Portugal and Paraguay, youth training initiatives are primarily concentrated within the top teams of the national league. Conversely, in Argentina, Belgium and Switzerland, youth development efforts are more broadly distributed across the first-division clubs in each country.

The low values at the bottom of the table reflect two very different situations. On one hand, in most African associations, part of the training is delegated to academies, while only 6.8% of the 1,008 selected players were registered with an academic club — this rate rises to 18.6% within CAF associations. Their objective is to develop young talent, who will then join national or international clubs through the transfer system, thereby providing resources for the training structure. Mali is the archetype of this model, with more than half of its players emerging from these entities. Meanwhile, Senegal illustrates the ambiguity between the professional club system and the academies for young players. For example, Génération Foot — a club in the Senegalese first division — is also an academy dedicated to training and exporting the best young players to European clubs.

On the other hand, UEFA associations employ a wide variety of clubs to nurture young talent. In France, the relatively low rate of 71.4% resulted from the selection of players from second or third division clubs, which are also the strength of the French training system. In Ireland, seven footballers play in the second national division too. The Austrian case is unique, as FC Liefering, who play in the second division, employed nearly half of the U-17 national team (nine players). However, this club is the satellite team of FC Salzburg, who compete in the Austrian Bundesliga. This case, once again, illustrates the variety of situations observed among the 48 associations participating in the FIFA U-17 World Cup.

Playing in the association represented

Regarding the proportion of footballers competing for clubs affiliated with their national association, 86.2% of participants in the FIFA U-17 World Cup fell within this category. The highest percentages were noted in the AFC (95.2%) and CONMEBOL (89.8%), while Concacaf reported the lowest (76.8%). This data demonstrates that the vast majority of players represented clubs within their national association, closely mirroring the 2023 figure of 88.3%, despite a big increase in the number of teams. 

Fourteen teams, representing all confederations with the exception of the OFC, selected their entire squads from clubs within their respective national associations. Leading football nations, such as Brazil and Germany, have the capacity to retain emerging talent domestically. For associations with less established international football networks, such as Tajikistan and Uganda, they remain relatively peripheral in terms of player mobility, with youth athletes developing and competing within domestic structures. Limited exposure to international scouting and fewer outbound transfers reflect both geographic and structural constraints in their football ecosystems.

The lower proportions can be attributed to the selection of players born outside the country they represent. For instance, several members of the Morocco or Tunisia squads originate from large Maghrebian communities based in Europe, with many either born abroad or having migrated as children. The El Salvador team was a combination of local players and those from communities established in the USA and Canada.

Although it is relatively rare for young players to be involved in football-related transfers, there were some notable exceptions. Mount Pleasant Academy, whose senior team competes in the Jamaican Premier Division, has welcomed six young Haitian players. These athletes now benefit from a stable sporting environment, far removed from the difficulties of their home country. The Republic of Ireland team offers a good example of two distinct trends: on one hand, there were players who compete in England but come from Ireland’s large diaspora; on the other, young talents transferred to continental clubs before turning 18. One such case is Oisín McDonagh, who left Wexford FC to join Venezia FC during the summer of his 16th year.

Team stability

A total of 33.7% of players at the FIFA U-17 World Cup were new to their national teams. These players did not take part in the qualifying phase that secured their teams’ places in the final tournament in Qatar.

African U-17 national teams often show a high rate of player turnover between the qualification tournament (CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations) and the FIFA U-17 World Cup. This phenomenon may be linked to structural challenges in youth development systems, limited continuity in player monitoring, and strict age-verification procedures, such as MRI scans engaged by the CAF. Senegal’s case, where more than 70% of the squad did not play in the qualifying tournament, illustrates a broader trend of team changes that seems to be more common among African teams than in other confederations.

By contrast, European teams tend to maintain greater continuity between the qualifying phase and the final tournament. This was clearly illustrated by Portugal, where only two players were new additions — goalkeeper David Rodrigues and defender Miguel Figueiredo. France and Germany, however, stood out as exceptions, likely due to coaching changes and the vast pool of youth talent they have at their disposal.

Note: The qualification tournaments are respectively for each confederations the following: 2025 AFC U-17 Asian Cup (AFC); 2025 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (CAF); 2025 CONCACAF U-17 World Cup qualification (CONCACAF); 2025 South American U-17 Championship (CONMEBOL); 2024 OFC U-16 Men's Championship (OFC); 2025 UEFA U-17 Euro qualification (UEFA). Any players who entered the game during these tournaments were considered participants. Furthermore, Qatar, as the host country, was not included in this analysis.

The number of participants in the FIFA U-17 World Cup doubled in 2025. This is a significant quantitative change that also resulted in greater diversity among the teams represented. Globally, these evolutions have had little effect on the indicators, which are highly structural. Nevertheless, we can perceive certain changes that will require further observations over a longer period to be confirmed.

The RAE remained strong, with 39.4% of players born in the first quarter and 15.1% in the last quarter, although compared to the 2023 edition, it has decreased slightly. There was an over-representation of players born in the first quarter of the year in each confederation, with a maximum for the OFC (52.8%) and a minimum for CAF (28.8%). The RAE is recognised as a common phenomenon across many competitions. The slight decline at this U-17 World Cup may be attributed partially to the increasing diversity of participating associations. As new countries enter the competition, they bring varied approaches to youth development and talent identification, introducing greater diversity into selection processes. This contributes to a reduction in the structural biases traditionally associated with age-based advantages.

The high proportion of U-17 players affiliated with first-division clubs (78.2%) highlights the central role of these institutions in youth development across most football associations. Professional clubs have a key role to play in identifying talent early on and providing structured pathways into elite competition. The only notable exception is Africa, where youth development is largely driven by academies that occupy a grey area within the club system and often focus on training rather than competition. The organisation of youth football ecosystems varies significantly from one association to another. In countries such as Portugal, the development model is highly centralised, with a small number of dominant clubs supplying the majority of youth national-team players. By contrast, countries such as Mali present a much more decentralised structure, with players coming from a wide range of academies and senior clubs.

Furthermore, 86.2% of U-17 players competed within their home federation, indicating strong national retention of youth talent. Exceptions to this pattern were mostly found in countries with large emigrant communities, where young players often grow up and train abroad before joining their national teams. These variations reflect broader differences in football infrastructure, migration patterns, and access to international scouting networks.