The most prestigious youth national-team tournament in men's football is taking place as the 2023 FIFA Under-20 World Cup is held in Argentina between May 20 and June 11.
The biennial tournament was last held in 2019 since the 2021 edition was cancelled due to scheduling and logistical challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2023 U20 World Cup was originally set to be held in Indonesia, but that nation's refusal to welcome Israel's squad — the countries don't have diplomatic relations — saw FIFA strip the tournament from Indonesia in March 2023 and instead move it to Argentina.
Italy are the only traditional power left in the 2023 edition in what is looking like a wide-open tournament. Argentina, who had originally failed to qualify from South America, were slotted in as the new host nation but they fell to Nigeria in the Round of 16. Brazil were knocked out in the quarterfinals by Israel.
Defending champions Ukraine failed to qualify for the 2023 tournament, falling at the second stage of European qualifying on a cards tiebreaker.
MORE: Teams qualified to the 2023 U20 World Cup
U20 World Cup format
A total of 24 nations qualified for the 2023 FIFA Under-20 World Cup via qualifying tournaments held in their respective regions.
The participating nations hailed from Asia (4 spots), Africa (4), North America (4), South America (4), Oceania (2), and Europe (5) with Argentina joining as the host nation.
The 24 countries were divided into groups A-F via a group-stage draw held on April 21, 2023. The top two teams in each group, along with the four best third-place finishers advanced to the Round of 16.
- Group Stage: May 20-28
- Round of 16: May 30-June 1
- Quarterfinals: June 3-4
- Semifinals: June 8
- 3rd Place: June 11
- Final: June 11
The 52 total matches are taking place in four cities in Argentina: Mendoza, La Plata, Santiago del Estero, and San Juan. The final will take place in La Plata's Estadio Unico on Sunday, June 11.
Each of the 52 matches kick off in one of three local time slots and here's how those translate across different regions of the world.
U20 World Cup times
| Stage(s) | Local (Argentina) | USA & Canada (EDT) | UK (GMT) | Australia (AEST) | India (IST) |
| Knockout stage only | 2:30 p.m. | 1:30 p.m. | 6:30 p.m. | 3:30 a.m. | 11 p.m. |
| Group stage only | 3 p.m. | 2 p.m. | 7 p.m. | 4 a.m. | 11:30 p.m. |
| Group stage & knockouts | 6 p.m. | 5 p.m. | 10 p.m. | 7 a.m. | 2:30 a.m. |
MORE: Why Indonesia was stripped of 2023 U20 World Cup by FIFA
U20 World Cup 2023 schedule, fixtures
The complete schedule, group standings and knockout-round pairings follow below.
Group A table & fixtures
| Team | PTS | GP | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Argentina-Q | 9 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | +9 |
| 2. Uzbekistan-Q | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 |
| 3. New Zealand-Q | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 7 | -4 |
| 4. Guatemala-E | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | -6 |
- Q = Qualified to Round of 16
- E = Eliminated
Group A match schedule
| Date | Match | |
| Sat, May 20 | Guatemala 0-1 New Zealand | Highlights |
| Sat, May 20 | Argentina 2-1 Uzbekistan | Highlights |
| Tue, May 23 | Uzbekistan 2-2 New Zealand | Highlights |
| Tue, May 23 | Argentina 3-0 Guatemala | Highlights |
| Fri, May 26 | New Zealand 0-5 Argentina | Highlights |
| Fri, May 26 | Uzbekistan 2-0 Guatemala | Highlights |
Group B table & fixtures
| Team | PTS | GP | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. USA-Q | 9 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | +6 |
| 2. Ecuador-Q | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 2 | +9 |
| 3. Slovakia-Q | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 4 | +1 |
| 4. Fiji-E | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 16 | -16 |
- Q = Qualified to Round of 16
- E = Eliminated
Group B match schedule
| Date | Match | |
| Sat, May 20 | USA 1-0 Ecuador | Highlights |
| Sat, May 20 | Fiji 0-4 Slovakia | Highlights |
| Tue, May 23 | USA 3-0 Fiji | Highlights |
| Tue, May 23 | Ecuador 2-1 Slovakia | Highlights |
| Fri, May 26 | Ecuador 9-0 Fiji | Highlights |
| Fri, May 26 | Slovakia 0-2 USA | Highlights |
Group C table & fixtures
| Team | PTS | GP | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Colombia-Q | 7 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | +2 |
| 2. Israel-Q | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| 3. Japan-E | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4 | -1 |
| 4. Senegal-E | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | -1 |
- Q = Qualified to Round of 16
- E = Eliminated
Group C match schedule
| Date | Match | |
| Sun, May 21 | Israel 1-2 Colombia | Highlights |
| Sun, May 21 | Senegal 0-1 Japan | Highlights |
| Wed, May 24 | Senegal 1-1 Israel | Highlights |
| Wed, May 24 | Japan 1-2 Colombia | Highlights |
| Sat, May 27 | Colombia 1-1 Senegal | Highlights |
| Sat, May 27 | Japan 1-2 Israel | Highlights |
Group D table & fixtures
| Team | PTS | GP | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Brazil-Q | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 3 | +7 |
| 2. Italy-Q | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 4 | +2 |
| 3. Nigeria-Q | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 | +1 |
| 4. Dom. Rep.-E | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 11 | -10 |
- Q = Qualified to Round of 16
- E = Eliminated
Group D match schedule
| Date | Match | |
| Sun, May 21 | Nigeria 2-1 Dominican Rep. | Highlights |
| Sun, May 21 | Italy 3-2 Brazil | Highlights |
| Wed, May 24 | Italy 0-2 Nigeria | Highlights |
| Wed, May 24 | Brazil 6-0 Dominican Rep. | Highlights |
| Sat, May 27 | Brazil 2-0 Nigeria | Highlights |
| Sat, May 27 | Dominican Rep. 0-3 Italy | Highlights |
Group E table & fixtures
| Team | PTS | GP | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. England-Q | 7 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 |
| 2. Uruguay-Q | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 3 | +4 |
| 3. Tunisia-Q | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 |
| 4. Iraq-E | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | -7 |
- Q = Qualified to Round of 16
- E = Eliminated
Group E match schedule
| Date | Match | |
| Mon, May 22 | England 1-0 Tunisia | Highlights |
| Mon, May 22 | Uruguay 4-0 Iraq | Highlights |
| Thu, May 25 | Uruguay 2-3 England | Highlights |
| Thu, May 25 | Iraq 0-3 Tunisia | Highlights |
| Sun, May 28 | Iraq 0-0 England | Highlights |
| Sun, May 28 | Tunisia 0-1 Uruguay | Highlights |
Group F table & fixtures
| Team | PTS | GP | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Gambia-Q | 7 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 |
| 2. South Korea-Q | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 3 | +1 |
| 3. France-E | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| 4. Honduras-E | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 7 | -3 |
- Q = Qualified to Round of 16
- E = Eliminated
Group F match schedule
| Date | Match | |
| Mon, May 22 | France 1-2 South Korea | Highlights |
| Mon, May 22 | Gambia 2-1 Honduras | Highlights |
| Thu, May 25 | France 1-2 Gambia | Highlights |
| Thu, May 25 | South Korea 2-2 Honduras | Highlights |
| Sun, May 28 | Honduras 1-3 France | Highlights |
| Sun, May 28 | South Korea 0-0 Gambia | Highlights |
Knockout Stages
The single-elimination knockout rounds consist of the Round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, final, and third-place match.
Any knockout matches tied after 90 minutes will head to 30 minutes of extra time and a penalty shootout, if necessary, to determine a winner.
U20 World Cup Round of 16
| Date | Match | |
| Tue, May 30 | RD16 #1: USA 4-0 New Zealand | Highlights |
| Tue, May 30 | RD16 #2: Uzbekistan 0-1 Israel | Highlights |
| Wed, May 31 | RD16 #3: Brazil 4-1 Tunisia | Highlights |
| Wed, May 31 | RD16 #4: Colombia 5-1 Slovakia | Highlights |
| Wed, May 31 | RD16 #5: England 1-2 Italy | Highlights |
| Wed, May 31 | RD16 #6: Argentina 0-2 Nigeria | Highlights |
| Thu, June 1 | RD16 #7: Gambia 0-1 Uruguay | Highlights |
| Thu, June 1 | RD16 #8: Ecuador 2-3 S. Korea | Highlights |
U20 World Cup Quarterfinals
| Date | Match | Time (ET / GMT) |
| Sat, June 3 | QF1: Israel 3-2 Brazil (a.e.t.) | Highlights |
| Sat, June 3 | QF2: Colombia 1-3 Italy | Highlights |
| Sun, June 4 | QF3: S. Korea vs. Nigeria | 1:30 p.m. / 6:30 p.m. |
| Sun, June 4 | QF4: USA vs. Uruguay | 5 p.m. / 10 p.m. |
U20 World Cup Semifinals
| Date | Match | Time (ET / GMT) |
| Thu, June 8 | USA / Uruguay vs. Israel | 1:30 p.m. / 6:30 p.m. |
| Thu, June 8 | Italy vs. S. Korea / Nigeria | 5 p.m. / 10 p.m. |
U20 World Cup 3rd Place
| Date | Match | Time (ET / GMT) |
| Sun, June 11 | Semifinal losers | 1:30 p.m. / 6:30 p.m. |
U20 World Cup Final
| Date | Match | Time (ET / GMT) |
| Sun, June 11 | Semifinal winners | 5 p.m. / 10 p.m. |
