FIFA Shift Under-17 World Cup Draw To August

The draw for the 2009 FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Nigeria has got a new date after it was changed to August 7 from an initial July 31 date.

The draw for the 24-team event will be staged at the upmarket Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja.

Hosts Nigeria are expected to be seeded. They will also head a first round group to be based in Abuja.

The other top seeds will most likely be picked by the host nation, as was the case when the draw for the World Youth Championship was conducted in Egypt.

The competition will be played in eight cities - Abuja, Calabar, Ijebu-Ode, Kano, Kaduna, Lagos, Enugu and Warri.

The line-up of the teams who have qualified for the 2009 FIFA World Under-17 Championship in Nigeria in October:

ASIA

Iran, Japan, South Korea, UAE

AFRICA

Nigeria, Gambia, Algeria, Burkina Faso, Malawi

EUROPE

Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Turkey

CONCACAF

Mexico, USA

OCEANIA

New Zealand

SOUTH AMERICA

Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia

Samm Audu, Goal.com