Football promises meet in Argentina, where Messi and Neymar’s successors may appear. Four stadiums in San Juan, Santiago del Estero, Mendoza and La Plata, the venue for the final, are set to host 52 matches.
Football’s promise will be fulfilled at the Under-20 World Cup in Argentina from this Saturday, where successors to Messi and Neymar could emerge in a tournament disrupted by the pandemic and the sudden change of host country. Twenty-four delegations changed their trip to Indonesia at the last minute due to a decision by FIFA that removed the Southeast Asian country from the venue amid controversy over political and religious issues.
Without defending champions Ukraine, which did not qualify, 504 players will measure forces in the first men’s youth World Cup in 2020 since the health emergency began.
Benefiting from the change of venue, the locals will face favorites Brazil, Uruguay, England and France, with no new surprises from Africa in a championship marked by the absence of great figures under the age of 20.
The journey of Argentina-2023 has been bumpy. With all teams already qualified, Indonesia objected to Israel, with which it has no diplomatic relations, playing the tournament. A friend of the Palestinian cause and with a majority Muslim population, the former organizer forced FIFA with barely seven weeks to seek a new course before getting the ball rolling.
Favorites in hostile territory
France will arrive in Argentina led by Monaco striker Malamine Efekele in comparison to Kylian Mbappé, the always promising youngster.
