U20 World Cup Preview Part 2: Everybody Else
4722 words, damn, I need a new hobby
In Part 1, I covered the USA team and their group opponents, as well as the expectations for the tournament. In part 2, I’m going to look at all the other groups; who’s good, who’s not so good, and what we might expect to see in terms of advancement. Evaluating these rosters is often a moving target; I rely a lot on Wikipedia for up to date squad lists, and they’ve disappointed me thus far, leading to a number of errors in Part 1. I’ve fixed those, and am being a lot more careful in Part 2.
Figuring out who is good and who isn’t can be daunting. Most of the players on the rosters I’ve never heard of, so it does involve a lot of research and leaning on other resources. For example, I use the Guardian Next Gen and Goal.Com NXGN lists as a guide to who has the hype; at the same time I recognize that those lists can be extremely flawed. If I were a betting man, I wouldn’t bet on this competition - too many variables are moving in too many directions. Good players can play on teams with little chemistry, while a bunch of unheard of players might have thousands of minutes together and work as a cohesive group.
The tournament kicks off on Saturday, September 27th. It will be televised on Fox Sports 2, Univision, and apparently streaming on FIFA’s website (though I don’t see the matches listed). It runs through the final on October 19th.
GROUP A:
Chile:
Chile are the hosts of the competition, and as such did not need to put much effort into qualifying. Although they did make the second round of the qualifying tournament, they finished 6th of 6th and would have failed to qualify if not for hosting the tournament. Chile’s team is mostly domestic, and represents the struggles they’ve had recently since their golden generation ended.
Lautaro Millan, a dual national in Argentina’s Independiente system, is probably their most notable young talent. He competed for Argentina’s U20 teams in the run up to the U20 Sudamericano Sub-20, but switched to Chile after not appearing in that tournament due to injury. Matias Perez joined Lecce recently as a center back. Rodrigo Godoy is a left footed winger that has played 73% of the available minutes for his first team.
New Zealand:
New Zealand was the highest ranked of the pot 2 teams, which may come as a bit of a surprise, but they have actually had a great deal of success in the U20s. In each of the last four editions, they have made it out of their group. They finished first in their qualifying tournament, as they always do, but should still be prepared to fact the tougher competition waiting for them at the World Cup.
Their most talented player is likely Luke Brooke-Smith, a wide attacking player who really likes to go 1v1 and is very good at it. He is the 2nd youngest player to make an appearance for the senior All Whites, and had 5 goals in 5 appearances for the U17s in qualifying last summer. He’s likely to do the double and make both tournaments this year. Nathan Walker is another key attacking piece who plays on either wing. He’s returning to play his first official minutes since a broken leg sidelined him in May. Lukas Kelly-Heald returns from New Zealand’s 2023 team to be an important leader and anchor the back line; he has 3 senior national team appearances himself. New Zealand has 3 players based in the USA; Keegan Kelly plays for Denver University as a forward, Troy Putt plays fullback for Minnesota United 2, and James Bulkeley plays center back for North Texas SC. Putt in particular is a strong player at the MLS Next Pro level, and could be one to watch in the tournament.
Japan:
Japan takes the pot 3 spot in this group; although they’re a traditionally stronger side in the youth level they suffered a disappointing result in 2023 when they failed to escape their group. They look to retool this year and put up a better performance than last time.
Alexandre Pisano will mind the nets; he’s the youngest goalkeeper to make a first team appearance in the history of the Japanese national team. Yuto Ozeki is likely to be the player at the center of the attack for Japan. He’s a midfielder who will wear the number 10, but is more comfortable orchestrating from deep versus getting into the box and being a playmaker. Ryūnosuke Satō will be the player to take more risks in the attack while Ozeki plays the role of circulator. Sato made his pro debut at 16, and has 4 appearances for the full national team already. Rento Takaoka may not be the starter at central forward, but he’s the most well known; the 18 year old plays for Valenciennes and scored 4 goals for Japan in the 2023 U17 World Cup. Of all the players, though, left back Keita Kosugi might have the brightest future. In the year since turning 18 and moving to Sweden, he has 58 appearances for Djurgården along with 5 goals and 5 assists.
Egypt:
Egypt ended up in pot 4 in large part due to their absence from the competition since 2013. They took the 4th and final qualifying spot in CAF, edging out Ghana on penalties to secure their spot in the semifinals and World Cup. In the group stage, they placed third, and were barely eligible for the knockouts in the first place. In many ways they backed into the World Cup, and now have a fairly tough group to survive.
Leading the team will be Omar Khedr. He made headlines as the highest valued Egyptian teenage player ever when he signed for Aston Villa last September, but has made little impact since. Mohamed Abdallah has 11 appearances for Ahly SC this season, which is a high mark for first team appearances among the group. Defensive midfielder Selim Telib and forward Tebo Gabriel are both players who ply their trade in Germany, on the reserves for Hertha BSC and Mainz respectively. Other than that, the majority of the players are domestic and don’t play much for their first teams.
Overall Outlook:
This is a group where the top three teams are fairly close; Chile has the advantage as host, while Japan and New Zealand have pedigree in this tournament and talented squads. Egypt is a team that lacks experience and talent, and most recently has struggled in the U20 Gulf Cup. If Egypt can’t mount a decent opposition, this could easily be a group where the top three advance.
GROUP B
South Korea:
South Korea is another Pot 1 team that might surprise, but is here due to strong finishes in the last two U20 World Cups. They qualified by taking 4th in the U20 Asian Cup, the last team to qualify, which might suggest that this edition is maybe not as strong as previous years. At the same time, they seem to have sufficient talent to make a push for the knockout.
Kim Tae-Won returns to the team after being the joint top scorer at the U20 Asian Cup. He plays for Portimonense’s U23 team in Portugal, where he’s scored 3 and assisted 3 goals in 29 appearances. Kim Myung-jun is one of his forward partners; the ‘06 forward was selected by the Guardian in their 2023 Next Gen class and currently plays for Jong Genk in Belgium. Shin Min-Ha is their most experienced defender with 49 appearances for Gangwon FC. He will be relied upon to hold down the back.
Ukraine:
Ukraine, the Pot 2 team, returns to the competition after winning in 2019. They qualified for the tournament via their performance in the group stage, where they secured two 0-0 draws before beating Italy 3-2 in their final match. Although the lost in the semifinals 1-0 to France, it was enough to see them through to the main competition.
Hennadiy Synchuk is one of the key attackers of the team. The CF Montreal player joined on a U22 deal after 32 appearances for Metalist. He’s a talented dribbler and incisive attacking player who will be the key playmaker for Ukraine, and has 3 appearances and 2 goals for the Ukraine U21s already. Kristian Shevchenko (yes, that Shevchenko) will play on the right wing, and is also eligible for both the USA and England. Matviy Ponomarenko will be the starting striker and has 10 goals in 14 games for the U19s; for a change of pace they have 6’8” forward Oleksandr Pyshschur.
Panama:
Pot 3 team Panama also returns after missing out on the 2023 edition of the tournament. This is their 7th appearance, but their best result is making it out of the group as a third place team. They performed well in the CONCACAF U20s, ending level on points with Mexico in the group stage and beating Canada in the knockouts to qualify.
The big addition for the Panama team heading into this tournament is Kevin Walder, who plays center forward for Plaza Amador in the Panamanian first division. He has 11 goals and one assist for the team across 1297 minutes of play, a strong return for a player so young. While he did not play in the CONCACAF Championship, this tournament should put him in the shop window for Europe. Already in Europe is center back Martin Krug, a US eligible player for Levante in Spain. Kayro Walters and Rafael Mosquera both play in MLS Next Pro for LAFC and New York Red Bulls. Mosquera is one of the best players in the league, with 11 goals and 12 assists across 2900 career minutes and +0.11 Net Goals Added above average per 96 minutes played.
Paraguay:
The final team in the group is Paraguay. They have been absent from the competition since 2013, where they were eliminated by Iraq in the knockout round. They qualified as the 4th place team in South America, and look to advance in a relatively favorable group for them.
Enso Gonzalez is the team’s biggest name player, who made a $6M move to Wolverhampton in the summer of 2023. Unfortunately, he’s done little since, making just 9 appearances in any competition in the last 2 years. Lucas Quintana might be the player in the best form; the center back and team captain is a regular starter for Cerro Porteno in the Paraguayan first division. His club teammate Gabriel Aguayo has had success on the right wing this season, with 4 assists in 960 total minutes of play.
Overall Outlook:
On paper, Paraguay has the most valuable squad, but I feel that this group is fairly wide open. Panama has attacking talent that is proven at a reasonably high level. Ukraine and South Korea are looking to a rematch of the 2019 final, and both teams have the quality to get back there. It will come down to which team gels the most and can perform as a team.
GROUP C
Brazil:
Brazil is a legendary team, both at the senior and youth levels. They are the five time champions of this competition, but have not added to that tally since 2011. If all the best U20s developed in Brazil - players like Endrick or Estevao - were in this competition they would likely walk through with a win, but with release issues the look of the team becomes much different.
The attack is still potent, though. Pedrinho, who plays for Zenit St Petersburg, is coming off an exceptional season where he had 5 goals and 8 assists across about 2000 minutes. He’s the focal point of the team. At center forward, Deivid Washington is like to start for the Selecao. The striker was a member of the Guardian Next Gen class of 2022, but since moving to Chelsea he has struggled for minutes and performance. Against peers, though, he’s dominant - in 2024 he had 8 goals and an assist in just 460 minutes against U21 competition. Al-Nassr’s Wesley rounds out the attacking group. Al Nassr paid $18M for his rights, a reflection on his ceiling as a player. In defense, the stars aren’t quite as bright but there are still good players. Iago Teodoro and Joao Victor are club teammates at Fluminense, and while they aren’t first teamers they do have a long history together.
Mexico:
Mexico makes it in Pot 2, and is another team with a solid record in the tournament. Their best result was as runners up in 1977, and they haven’t reached that level again. Recent history has been less kind as they failed to qualify in 2023 and crashed out with 0 points in the group stage in 2019. They also had not won the CONCACAF U20 Championships since 2015 before winning this year. They hope to use that success to spark a good run in Chile.
Mexico’s biggest strength is in their midfield. Obed Vargas is one of the best 2005 midfielders on the continent, and has significant top level experience with the Seattle Sounders. He has played key roles in the club’s CONCACAF Champions League and Leagues Cup wins. He’s been at a U20 World Cup before, but with the USA instead of Mexico. Elias Montiel has performed excellently as a defensive midfielder for Pachuca and has 3 goals and 2 assists across all competitions this season. Gilberto Mora is one of the most hyped young players in the world; the ‘08 attacking midfielder already has 3 appearances and one goal with the full national team, including 75 minutes in the Gold Cup final. Outside of the midfield, Pablo Lara is a high quality goalkeeper who can keep Mexico in games and be trusted to avoid mistakes.
Spain:
Spain earned qualification by winning the UEFA U19 European Championship outright. They are in Pot 3 because this is their first time qualifying since 2013. They were formerly a mainstay of the competition and even winners in 1999 with legends Iker Casillas and Xavi. They look to make their mark on the competition in their return, and with the UEFA U19 trophy have made themselves one of the favorites.
The strength of their team starts in the back with Jon Martin, a center back for Real Sociedad. The highly rated youngster is a member of the 2023 Guardian Next Gen class and has 15 appearances at the top level already, unusual for a young player in that position. His likely partner will be Villareal’s Pau Navarro, an accomplished player in his own right with 18 La Liga appearances already. The attack is similarly gifted - UEFA U19 Golden Ball winner and Next Gen 2022 member Iker Bravo will be the point of the spear. He’s bounced around since leaving Real Madrid and currently plays for Udinese, but despite some club disappointment he’s been outstanding for his home country. David Mella, a winger with 8 goals and 6 assists across 3000 La Liga 2 minutes, will be one of his main partners in the attack.
Morocco:
Morocco makes their return to the U20 World Cup after 20 years, and as such was placed into Pot 4. They earned qualification through being runners up at the U20 Africa Cup of Nations, and in many ways were hard done by in their defeat to South Africa. They dominated possession and chances in the game, but South Africa took advantage of a scuffed clearance to win 1-0.
Saad El Haddad is their main playmaker and has been a fixture of the U20 group since 2022. He’s broken through to Venezia’s first team this year, and has shown well in Serie A. On the wing is Gessime Yassine, a gifted dribbler who already has 6 goals and 5 assists in Ligue 2. He exploded onto the scene against PSG in the semifinals of the Coupe de France, putting in a mature performance against the best club team in the world. Ali Maamar is another U20 mainstay, with 22 matches with the squad. The right back plays for Anderlecht, where he has racked up 25 appearances in the first division and 7 in European competition. Finally, Yassine Khalifi is a hyped youngster - a member of the Guardian Next Gen 2022 class - and while his trajectory hasn’t been smooth he’s still an excellent midfielder. Morocco also has multiple players returning from the U17 World Cup quarterfinalist team.
Overall outlook:
If there’s any group that can be called the “Group of Death” in the tournament, it’s this one. Brazil has tremendous talent and Spain is returning a number of players from their UEFA 2019 win. Mexico is coming in with a talented group of players with high level professional experience. Morocco has a great deal of talent with European pedigree. Whichever teams survive this group are going to be favored in the knockouts against almost any opposition.
GROUP D
Italy:
Italian teams at the youth level follow a familiar blueprint. They are tough defensively, allowing few quality chances and grinding their way to wins. They were runners up in 2023 and fourth place in 2019, and this year look to take that last step to become champions. In the UEFA U19 Euros, they held eventual winners Spain scoreless through 90 minutes in the semifinals before allowing an extra time heartbreaker.
This year, as always, their success will start from the back. Alessandro Nunziate broke through to the first team of Benevento in Serie C last season, quickly establishing himself as one of the brightest young goalkeeping talents in Italy. He’s since moved to Udinese. He’s an elite shot stopper with excellent confidence on the ball. In front of him will be Wisdom Amey, a talented center back who made the Next Gen 2022 list. Andrea Natali, one of the youngest players in the tournament, will be his partner. The Barcelona trained CB has moved to RB Leipzig and is one of the highest rated young CBs in the world. At right back, Mattia Mannini is highly rated and made the 2023 Next Gen list. In the attack the Italians have Mattia Liberali, rated the 34th best young player in the world in the 2025 Goal.Com NXGN list. There may be a question about where the goals will come from, but the team should control games and do just enough to advance no matter the opponent.
Argentina:
Argentina is the greatest team at this stage, with 6 championships to their name and countless great players to come through this tournament. Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi, and Sergio Aguero won the Golden Ball at the U20 World Cup before going on to become legends of the sport. At the same time, they have not won the competition since Aguero’s run in 2007 and have not placed in the top 4 in that span. Since 2013, they have only reached the knockouts twice and were eliminated in the round of 16 both times.
Gianluca Prestianinni embodies the recent Argentine performance; a player with massive accolades coming out of Argentina - rated the #27th best youngster in the world by Goal.Com in 2024 and part of Guardian’s Next Gen 2023 class - he has since made little impact at Benfica, with just 2 goals and 2 assists in 24 appearances for the club. Not terrible, but not living up to expectations. This tournament is a chance for him to get back on track. Ian Subiabre (Next Gen 2024) and Alvaro Montoro are two even younger players who will try to make a name for themselves at this tournament as well. Montoro will wear the 10, despite being one of the youngest on the team. Maher Carrizo has the highest Transfermarkt value of the team and as a central forward has been productive for Velez, with 11 goals in 47 appearances and 6 goals in 12 Argentina U20 caps. Boca’s Milton Delgado will be tasked with cleaning up in front of the back line, and the dynamic defensive midfielder should be up to the task.
Australia:
Australia is another team making a return after a long layoff, with their last performance coming in 2013. They did win the AFC U20 Championship, topping Saudi Arabia on penalties after 120 cagey, defensive minutes from both sides. In return, they get dropped into group with two giants.
The two most well known names on the Australia side are both Manchester products, just from opposite sides. Max Caputo is a forward that developed with the Manchester City U21s before making a move to CFG partner Melbourne City. He was part of Guardian’s Next Gen 2022 class. In the 2024 Next Gen class is Manchester United player James Overy. The right back has just 430 minutes across Premier League 2 and U18 play, but is one to watch for the future. Musa Toure is one of the few players currently playing outside Australia; he is from a soccer family as his two older brothers are both professionals, with Mohamed Toure being a full Australian international. Lucas Harrington, an ‘07 center back, has already agreed to a deal with the Colorado Rapids that will take place when he turns 18.
Cuba:
Cuba makes their second appearance at the U20 World Cup; the first coming in 2013 where they were blitzed in the group stage and bowed out with 0 points and a -9 goal difference. The biggest change between that group 12 years and today is a loosening of the laws in Cuba. Now, foreign players are allowed to compete for the national team. 14 of the 21 players traveling to Chile play for teams outside of Cuba, a remarkable difference from a decade ago.
While none of these players are big names, Cuba has been aggressive in bringing them in and many have full senior caps already. Forward Alessio Raballo is born and raised in Italy, and plays for Cremonense’s U20 side. He has 4 caps in Gold Cup and World Cup qualifying, though he has yet to open his scoring account. Left back Karel Perez might be their best player; he has 12 caps, and 11 caps with 3 goals for the U20s. Defensive partner Leandro Mena has 4 caps.
Overall Outlook:
Cuba has done well to qualify but is overmatched in this group, and it’s likely all three of the other teams will advance. Italy against Argentina should be one of the best matches of the group stage, as a high octane attack runs against one of the best defenses the youth level can put together. Australia needs to keep it close against the big two and run up the score against Cuba; if they can do that, their advancement is probably secure.
GROUP F:
Colombia:
Pot 1 team Colombia is bringing a very talented group of players to Chile, and may be one of the favorites. They finished third in the final stage of qualifying, but topped their first stage group (which included Argentina). They are bringing a number of top prospects, and look to secure their best finish since 2003 where they were third.
Neiser Villareal exploded for 8 goals in qualifying, but the wide forward doesn’t usually do that; he has yet to score a goal in 1159 minutes of club play with Millionarios. Instead, the scoring burden will be on Emilio Aristizábal, who has 9 goals and 2 assists in 1700 minutes in the top level of Colombia this season. Wonderkid Oscar Perea was acquired by Chelsea front Strasbourg, and while he excelled in qualifying he’s struggled a bit to establish himself in Europe. Still, he’s one of the best players to come out of Colombia in recent years. Midfielder Jordan Barrera plays for Botafogo after a recent move, and his stock is rising.
Nigeria:
Nigeria is a traditional youth powerhouse that faltered a bit with the introduction of age testing to the youth levels of the sport. Still, they’re bringing one of the youngest* squads to the entire tournament. They did the same in the last edition, when they managed a 3 way tie at the top of their group with Italy and Brazil. Because of that, some of their best players are returnees.
Daniel Daga might be the best player on the team. He’s one of the 2023 returners, and a member of the 2024 Next Gen class. The midfielder has already made the jump to Molde, and will be familiar with many of his Norwegian opponents in the group. Sani Suleiman is another European player who has 3 goal contributions in 370 minutes for AS Trencin in the Slovakian league. A recent addition, he’s hit the ground running. Daniel Bameyi, another 2023 returnee, just completed a move to Slovakia earlier this month. The powerful center back will lock down the back line for the Super Eagles. Abduljelil Kamaldeen stands out as the youngest* player in the competition, just 19 years older than the USA’s Cavan Sullivan. The lanky midfielder may just be there for the ride, but it would be notable if he played and made a difference.
*reportedly
Norway:
Norway has had some memorable moments in the U20 World Cup, like when Erling Haaland scored 9 goals in a match against a hapless Honduras side. Despite that, they have yet to exit the group stage after three previous attempts. They qualified for the U20 World Cup with the last available spot from UEFA, beating Turkey in a playoff 10-9 on penalty kicks. Despite the heroics, many of the players that led the team to the spot have not made the trip to Chile, leaving the team adrift.
Sondre Granaas is one of the players that did help squeak in, and he’s likely to be the fulcrum of everything the Norwegians do. He’s a midfielder that is comfortable dropping back but also operating as a playmaker, and has 4 goals and 5 assists in 39 appearances for Molde. ‘07 Julian Lægreid will wear the 9; the striker has some experience with the U17s but has yet to feature in this group. Håkon Røsten will be the leader at center back; the player has 18 Eliteserien appearances and 2 goals already in his career.
Saudi Arabia:
The Saudi Arabian team rounds out Pot 4; though they’ve been at the competition 9 times, they’ve only made it out of the groups twice. This time, though, the development engine put in place more than a decade ago is starting to pay off. They made it all the way to the AFC U20 Championship finals, only to be defeated in extra time by Australia. The building blocks are there for a decent performance.
Saudi Arabia is unique in the entire tournament for have an entirely domestic squad. Talal Haji is their talisman; the ‘07 forward is the youngest player to feature in the Saudi Pro League at sixteen years and five days old. He has 13 goals in 13 U17 games,a full national team appearance, and was on the 2024 Guardian Next Gen list. His club teammate Farhah Al-Shamrani will be called upon to patrol the midfield and help win the ball and spark attacks. Hamed Al-Shanqity won the award for the best goalkeeper in the AFC U20 Championship, and his heroics may be called on again to help the team past the group stage.
Overall Outlook:
This is another tough group, with not much to separate the teams. Norway should have been a good team with experience, but with the losses they’ve had since qualifying it simply isn’t the same team. Saudi Arabia meanwhile has more competitive experience, and Nigeria is bringing a squad loaded with talent. Colombia came out of the pressure cooker of South America with a great record. It will take something special to top this group or advance to the next round, and each game should be special.
Final Notes
I’m excited for this tournament; I’ll be trying to find ways to steal glimpses of it all day. Also, with my work with American Soccer Analysis I should be able to bring detailed coverage of the games, with in depth data reports for each one. (That depends on if coverage continutes; it was available in 2023, but isn’t always).
Follow me on Bluesky @paulharvey.theoutfield.nyc for updates and random thoughts as it gets going!