U20 World Cup draw puts US in group with Ecuador, Fiji, Slovakia

The United States U20 team has found out their competition for the upcoming FIFA U20 World Cup in Argentina. FIFA conducted their draw for the tournament Friday morning. The Americans were drawn into Group B of the competition alongside Ecuador, Fiji, and Slovakia. Perhaps the most compelling matchup of the draw was Brazil being placed in the same group as Italy.

US U20 team stumbling into World Cup

Much like their senior counterparts, the United States U20s are considered the top CONCACAF team in the region. However, they will enter the 2023 tournament on a bit of a low. The Americans played three friendly matches in Spain throughout the month of March. They failed to win any of the trio of fixtures.

This included a 4-0 loss to France and a 4-2 defeat against England. The U20s also drew 0-0 in a matchup with Serbia. Both France and England will take part in the upcoming U20 World Cup.

Nevertheless, the U.S. was still in pot 1 of the draw. This means that they are considered one of the top teams in their age bracket. The group-stage pairings will be seen by many as a fairly favorable draw for the United States. Ecuador and Fiji were both at the bottom of pot 2 and 3, respectively.

The 2023 U20 World Cup is in Argentina from May 20 to June 11. Originally, Indonesia was the host. However, FIFA stripped the nation as host after an Indonesian official objected to Israel’s participation. Israel is in Group C along with Senegal, Japan and Colombia. The US team will begin their quest for the title against Ecuador on May 20.

Full draw

Group A

• Argentina
• Uzbekistan
• Guatemala
• New Zealand

Group B

• USA
• Ecuador
• Fiji
• Slovakia

Group C

• Senegal
• Japan
• Israel
• Colombia

Group D

• Italy
• Brazil
• Nigeria
• Dominican Republic

Group E

• Uruguay
• Iraq
• England
• Tunisia

Group F

• France
• Korea Republic
• The Gambia
• Honduras

PHOTO: IMAGO / Schwörer Pressefoto