India enter a new historic chapter as the country will host its maiden FIFA event with the U17 World Cup from October 6-28 at six different venues with the Blue Colts set to play their Group A encounters at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in New Delhi.
Though the India U17 side will be considered as the underdogs, paired alonside teams of the calibre of USA, Colombia and two-time champions Ghana, the entire nation's hopes will be pinned on the Indian contingent to put up a good show.
Since 2015, the team was under the guidance of former coach Nicolai Adam until Portuguese gaffer Luis Norton de Matos took over the preparations in March 2017 and to lead the Indian contingent into the youth competition come Friday onwards.
WHEN ARE THE MATCHES?
The first game of the Group stage against USA is on Friday, October 6 at New Delhi. India will next take on Colombia and Ghana on October 9 and 12 respectively. All of the hosts' fixtures are slated for a 20:00 IST kick-off.
WHAT CHANNELS CAN I WATCH THE GAME ON TV?
Anselm Noronha/Goal
| Date | Time (IST) | Match | Channels | Streaming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 6 | 20:00 | India vs. USA | Sony Ten 2, Sony Ten 3 | SonyLIV App & website |
| Oct 9 | 20:00 | India vs. Colombia | Sony Ten 2, Sony Ten 3 | SonyLIV App & website |
| Oct 12 | 20:00 | India vs. Ghana | Sony Ten 2, Sony Ten 3 | SonyLIV App & website |
Sony Ten 2 will have its telecast in English while Sony Ten 3 is going to be in Hindi.
WHERE ARE THE MATCHES?
Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi, India.
What coach Luis Norton de Matos has to say
"Every coach has his own philosophy and through mine I know what I’m looking for on 6th October. I am happy and lucky because I have my system of players. I have different options with players which I can use in my system.
"The boys are responding to the philosophy very well. The group is very intelligent. I believe, in football, like other sports, you must first have intelligence. They have the motivation- they are representing themselves and the country. They always want to prove they are able of whatever I ask them to do. They are well disciplined, on and off the pitch. This group is professional and they have begun early and so in the future, I am sure they will be the future stars of Indian football."
"The team must have a balance. If you score four goals but allow the opposition to score five as well, you lose. Hence, you must maintain equilibrium. The team perhaps has not scored a lot of goals (in practice matches) but the opponents haven’t been easy either.
"As a coach I would like a lot that we can reach the quarter finals. I am very realistic because India, in this World Cup, is one of weakest teams that are going to participate. I think my first realist target is to reduce the gap (in terms of standard of play) between the rivals and us."
Read the full quotes here .