As the 2017 MLS regular season draws to a close later this year, the 2017 U-17 World Cup will kick off in India. The tournament starts on October 6 and runs to October 28. The draw to decide how teams are grouped won't be held until July 7, but we do at least know the 24 qualifiers, now that the 2017 Africa U-17 Cup of Nations has advanced to its final four (the top four AFCON U-17 teams all qualify for the U-17 World Cup).
The 24 qualifiers are as follows:
Host: India
AFC qualifiers
- Iran
- Iraq
- Japan
- North Korea
CAF qualifiers
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Mali
- Niger
CONCACAF qualifiers
- Costa Rica
- Honduras
- Mexico
- USA
CONMEBOL qualifiers
- Brazil
- Chile
- Colombia
- Paraguay
OFC qualifiers
- New Caledonia
- New Zealand
UEFA qualifiers
- England
- France
- Germany
- Spain
- Turkey
The 24 teams will be divided into six groups of four for the group stage of the tournament.