The 2022 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup (Spanish: Copa Mundial Femenina Sub-20 de la FIFA Costa Rica 2022) was the 10th edition of the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, the biennial international women's youth football championship contested by the under-20 national teams of the member associations of FIFA, since its inception in 2002 as the FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship (the age limit was raised from 19 to 20 in 2008). The tournament was held in Costa Rica, which would have hosted the 2020 edition before it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[1] It was the second time that Costa Rica hosted a FIFA tournament after the 2014 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup.
This was the final edition to feature 16 teams before expanded to 24 teams in 2024 in Colombia.
Host selection
Costa Rica and Panama were originally selected as co-hosts of the 2020 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup on 20 December 2019,[2] before the withdrawal of Panama leaving Costa Rica as the only host country.[3] On 17 November 2020, FIFA announced that the 2020 edition of the tournament would be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, Costa Rica was appointed a host of the next edition of the tournament scheduled for 2022.[1][4]
Qualified teams
A total of 16 teams qualify for the final tournament. In addition to Costa Rica who automatically qualifies as host, 15 teams qualify from six continental competitions.
Teams were nominated by UEFA based on 2020/21 UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship qualifying round coefficient ranking list (qualification cancelled)[9]
On 16 March 2022, the AFC announced that Australia would replace North Korea as the AFC’s representatives at the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup due to DPR Korea Football Association withdrew.[10]
Venues
The two host cities were announced on 10 August 2021.[11]
The official draw took place on 5 May 2022, 13:00 local time (UTC-6), at the Teatro Nacional de Costa Rica in San José.[12] The teams were allocated based on their performances in the 5 previous U-20 Women's World Cups, five bonus points are added to each of the confederation's current champions that won the respective qualifying tournament (for this cycle).
The hosts Costa Rica were automatically seeded and assigned to position A1. Teams of the same confederation could not meet in the group stage.[13]
Players born between 1 January 2002 and 31 December 2006 are eligible to compete in the tournament.
Match officials
A total of 13 referees, 26 assistant referees and 14 video match officials (VAR and AVAR) were appointed officially by FIFA for the tournament on 1 June 2022.[14]
The Video assistant referee (VAR) system will be utilize for the first time in a FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.
In the knockout stages, if a match was level at the end of normal playing time, extra time would be played (two periods of 15 minutes each) and followed, if necessary, by a penalty shoot-out to determine the winner. However, for the third place match, no extra time will be played and the winner will be determined by a penalty shoot-out if necessary.
The official emblem and slogan were unveiled on 10 August 2021, one year prior to the start of the tournament.[19]
"Vamos juntas" by Isabella Castro, Rebeca Malavassi, Tony Succar and the female choir of the Franz Liszt Schule served as the official song of the tournament. (Produced and composed by Costa Rican artist Jorge Castro).[20]
