Quarterfinal line-up confirmed for FIFA U-17 World Cup in Doha

Nov 19, 2025

The quarterfinal line-up of the FIFA U-17 World Cup Qatar 2025 was confirmed on Tuesday after eight fiery Round of 16 matches at Doha’s Aspire Zone.

Four evenly balanced contests will now decide the semifinalists on Friday, November 21. While Austria will meet Japan, Italy will face a Burkina Faso side that continues to exceed expectations. Portugal, one of the tournament’s most clinical teams so far, take on unbeaten Switzerland, while Morocco’s in-form squad prepares for a testing encounter against Brazil.

The last eight took shape after a busy and eventful day of knockout matches in Doha, where several teams maintained their strong tournament form and others advanced through narrow, hard-fought battles.

The Round of 16 delivered late goals, shootout drama, and standout individual performances, underscoring how competitive and unpredictable this year’s edition has become.

Italy were the first to advance, defeating Uzbekistan 3-2 thanks to a superb double from Thomas Campaniello and a decisive strike from Dauda Iddrisa. Despite a late effort from Azizbek Erimbetov, the Azzurrini held firm.

Burkina Faso then edged Uganda in a fiercely competitive penalty shootout (5-3) after the two teams were locked 1-1 after the end of regulation time.

Arafat Nkoola’s brilliant curling opener ignited Ugandan hopes before Alassana Bagayoko volleyed home the equaliser. A single miss in the shootout decided it, with captain Cherif Barro praising his side’s belief, while Uganda coach Brian Ssenyondo expressed pride despite the heartbreak.

Portugal produced the most dominant performance of the round, sweeping Mexico aside 5-0. Captain Rafael Quintas opened from the spot, top scorer Anisio Cabral added his sixth of the tournament, and Zeega, Miguel Figueiredo, and Yoan Pereira sealed the emphatic win against a Mexican side reduced to nine men.

Switzerland extended their unbeaten run to 12 matches, dispatching Republic of Ireland 3-1. Adrien Llukes broke the deadlock, Sandro Wyss powered home the second, and Mijajlovic sealed it late, reacting after Ireland got hope through Vinnie Leonard. Switzerland’s unbeaten confidence will now test Portugal in the quarters.

In one of the day’s most dramatic contests, Brazil rallied back against France - from Joao Pedro’s costly penalty offense to a heroic equalizer by Pietro Tavares in the dying moments. Joao Pedro redeemed himself by making crucial saves in the shootout, sending Brazil through 4-3 on penalties.

“It’s always a great game against France, with history in youth football as well. This makes us even stronger in the competition,” said Brazil coach Carlos Eduardo Patetuci.

In a gripping all-Asian contest, Japan eked out a penalty shootout win against North Korea after a 1-1 draw. Jelani Ren McGhee opened the scoring before North Korea captain Ri Hyok-gwang’s second-half equalizer sent it to penalties, where Hiroto Asada became the hero, calmly slotting home the deciding kick.

Austria put in arguably the performance of the round, thrashing ten-man England 4-0. Deshishku dazzled early, Moser converted a penalty and blasted another, and Ndukwe capped off the night.

Meanwhile, Morocco survived a late Mali surge to prevail 3-2 in a compelling African clash. Ziyad Baha and Ismail El Aoud, who struck twice - including a spectacular distance drive - sent Morocco through, despite Tiemoko Berthe’s late thunderbolt for Mali.