Venue(s) 8 (in 8 host cities) | Dates 29 July – 20 August | |
 | ||
Teams 24 (from 6 confederations) | ||
The 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup was the 18th FIFA U-20 World Cup. Colombia hosted the tournament between 29 July and 20 August 2011, with matches being played in eight cities. The tournament was won by Brazil who claimed their fifth title.
Contents
- Venues
- Qualification
- Group stage
- Goalscorers
- Awards
- Organization
- Opening ceremony
- Closing ceremony
- References
At a FIFA Executive Committee meeting held in Sydney on 26 May 2008, Colombia beat the only other candidate country, Venezuela, for the right to organize the U-20 World Cup. It was suggested by the then-Vice President of Colombia Francisco Santos Calderón that it was needed to withdraw from the race with Brazil to host the 2014 FIFA World Cup so the nation could concentrate on hosting the "best possible games".
In an inspection tour of development works in March 2010, Jack Warner, then the vice president of FIFA, said that the completion of this tournament could provide Colombia with a launch pad to become a possible host for the 2026 World Cup. The official song of the tournament was "Nuestra Fiesta" by Colombian singer Jorge Celedón.
Venues
The venues that were confirmed on 29 September 2010 are located in Bogotá, Cali, Medellín, Manizales, Armenia, Cartagena, Pereira and Barranquilla.
During an announcement about the ticketing procedures for Colombian residents, it was confirmed that the opening game would be held at the Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez in Barranquilla, with the Estadio El Campín hosting the final match.
Qualification
In addition to host nation Colombia, 23 nations qualified from six separate continental competitions.
Group stage
The draw for the group stage was held on 27 April 2011, at the Julio Cesar Turbay Ayala Convention Centre in Cartagena. The seedings were as follows.
The winners and runners-up from each group, as well as the best four third-placed teams, will qualify for the first round of the knockout stage (round of 16).
Where two or more teams end the group stage with the same number of points, their ranking is determined by the following criteria:
- goal difference in all group matches;
- number of goals scored in all group matches;
- points earned in the matches between the teams concerned;
- goal difference in the matches between the teams concerned;
- number of goals scored in the group matches between the teams concerned;
- drawing of lots by the organising committee.
Ranking of third place teams in each group are determined by the following criteria, top four advances to the round of 16:
- number of points
- goal difference in all group matches;
- number of goals scored in all group matches;
- drawing of lots by the organising committee.
All times are in local, Colombia Time (UTC−05:00).
Goalscorers
Awards
The following awards were given:
Organization
In late 2009 the Colombian Football Federation unveiled the budget for conducting the event, to be COP 150 billion (USD 75 million). On 30 September 2009, the presidents of both FIFA and Colombia announced that the logo would show a steaming cup of coffee with the colors of the Colombian tricolor.
Opening ceremony
Prior to the start of the tournament, the Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez in Barranquilla hosted the Opening Ceremony, involving local musical performances and guests including Jorge Celedón, Barranquilla's Carnival Performers, Checo Acosta and Maía.
Closing ceremony
The Estadio El Campín in Bogotá hosted the Closing Ceremony. The show was managed by the Ibero-American Theater Festival and Teatro Nacional de Colombia and, like the opening ceremony, included musical performances.