July 26 – Panama will host the 2017 CONCACAF Under-17 Championship April-May next year. The competition is the regional qualifier for the U17 World Cup which will be held in India in 2017.
This is the second time Panama have hosted the U17 competition, having done so in 2013.
The 12-team championship will be played across two venues in Panama City and will feature Panama as host, three teams from the Central American Football Union (UNCAF), five from the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) and three from North America.
Sub regional qualifiers will be played this year in the Caribbean in July and in Central America in November.
From the final tournament in Panama four teams qualify for the U17 World Cup. Teams are in two groups of six with the group winners qualifying for India. The second and third place teams from each group play each other with the winners of those matches taking the last two slots for India.
Mexico are the current CONCACAF U15 champions having won the tournament in 2015.
“For the Panamanian Football Federation in particular and for Panama in general, hosting such an important tournament as the CONCACAF Under-17 Championship is a source of great pride,” said Panamanian Football Federation President Pedro Chaluja.
“This designation demonstrates the credibility of FEPAFUT, its directors and collaborators, throughout the area and worldwide. We welcome all the participating teams and urge the players to practice Fair Play on and off the field, as they give their all for a place in the World Cup in India.”
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