Preview: USA To Face Burkina Faso in Opening Match of 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup on Wednesday
U.S. Under-17 Men’s National Team
2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup
Aspire Zone; Al Rayyan, Qatar
November 3 - November 27
The U.S. Under-17 Men’s National Team commences its participation in Group I at the 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup on Wednesday, Nov. 5 against Burkina Faso (10:15 a.m. ET; FS2, Universo, Peacock). Both countries have faced each other just once before in the competition, meeting in the group stage of the 2023 World Cup, where the USA won 2-1. The victory improved the team’s record against African nations in the tournament to 4W-8L-1D. The Stars and Stripes will take part in a FIFA-record 19th U-17 World Cup, having reached the knockout stages on 10 occasions. The upcoming tournament in Qatar will mark Burina Faso’s sixth appearance in the competition.
The U.S. will continue its World Cup campaign against Tajikistan on Saturday, Nov. 8 (9:45 a.m. ET; FS2, Telemundo, Peacock) and concludes the first phase vs. Czechia on Tuesday, Nov. 11 (9:45 a.m. ET; FS2, Universo, Peacock). All group stage matches will be played at the Aspire Zone in Al Rayyan, Qatar.
The FIFA U-17 World Cup will be broadcast in English on Fox Sports platforms and on the Fox Sports app with corresponding authentication. Matches will be broadcast in Spanish on Telemundo platforms and the Peacock app.
Fans can follow all of the action from Qatar on ussoccer.com as well as @USYNT on X and Instagram and U.S. Soccer’s Facebook page.
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Time (ET) | TV Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wednesday, Nov. 5 | Burkina Faso | Aspire Zone; Al Rayyan, Qatar | 10:15 a.m. | FS2, Universo, Peacock |
| Saturday, Nov. 8 | Tajikistan | Aspire Zone; Al Rayyan, Qatar | 9:45 a.m. | FS2, Telemundo, Peacock |
| Tuesday, Nov. 11 | Czechia | Aspire Zone; Al Rayyan, Qatar | 9:45 a.m. | FS2, Universo, Peacock |
GOALKEEPERS (3): Jack Kortkamp (Sporting Kansas City; Olathe, Kan.), William Lodmell (Sporting Lisbon/POR; Lisbon, Portugal), Aidan Stokes (New York Red Bulls; Totowa, N.J.)
DEFENDERS (6): Christopher Cupps (Chicago Fire; Chicago, Ill.), Jordan Griffin (Philadelphia Union; West Chester, Pa.), Pedro Guimaraes (Orange County SC; Aliso Viejo, Calif.), Ramiz Hamouda (Birmingham Legion; Lincoln, Neb.), Enrique Martinez (LA Galaxy; Compton, Calif.), Gio Villa (Real Salt Lake; Chicago, Ill.)
MIDFIELDERS (6): Maximo Carrizo (New York City FC; Greenwich, Conn.), Luca Moisa (Real Salt Lake; Las Vegas, Nev.), Cooper Sanchez (Atlanta United; Holly Springs, Ga.), Cavan Sullivan (Philadelphia Union; Philadelphia, Pa.), Jude Terry (LAFC; San Diego, Calif.), Mateo Tsakiris (LA Galaxy; Saratoga, Calif.)
FORWARDS (6): Chase Adams (Columbus Crew; Naperville, Ill.), Mathis Albert (Borussia Dortmund/GER; El Segundo, Calif.), Nimfasha Berchimas (Charlotte FC; High Point, N.C.), Julian Hall (New York Red Bulls, New York, N.Y.), Jamir Johnson (Philadelphia Union; Huntsville, Ala.), Kellan LeBlanc (Philadelphia Union; Royersford, Pa.)
Players born on or after Jan. 1, 2008, are age-eligible for the 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup. Segares selected 19 players born in 2008 and two born in 2009. The youngest member of the USA’s 2023 U-17 World Cup roster, striker Nimfasha Berchimas returns for his second U-17 World Cup. The Charlotte FC forward was 15 when he led the U.S. with three goals during the 2023 edition in Indonesia.
The roster features players from 15 clubs, including 17 from 11 different Major League Soccer setups. Philadelphia Union leads the way with four selections, followed by two apiece from LA Galaxy, New York Red Bulls and Real Salt Lake. Atlanta United, Charlotte FC, Chicago Fire, Columbus Crew, LAFC, New York City FC and Sporting Kansas City all had one player selected.
German Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund and Portuguese Superliga outfit Sporting Lisbon each send one player, while USL Championship clubs Birmingham Legion and Orange County SC are also represented.
Additionally, Micah Harris (Houston Dynamo), Logan Moniz (FC Boston Bolts) and Oliver Tan (Famalicao/POR) will join the team as training players during the pre-camp in Abu Dhabi.
The USA qualified for a FIFA-record 19th U-17 World Cup during the Concacaf qualifying process held last February in Costa Rica. Segares’ side defeated U.S. Virgin Islands 22-0, Saint Kitts and Nevis 7-0, and Cuba 2-0 to take top spot in the group and claim one of Concacaf’s eight berths to the newly-expanded 48 team U-17 World Cup.
Fourteen players from the Concacaf qualifying roster return for the World Cup: goalkeeper Jack Kortkamp; defenders Christopher Cupps, Jordan Griffin, Pedro Guimaraes, Ramiz Hamouda, Enrique Martinez and Gio Villa; midfielders Maximo Carrizo, Luca Moisa, Cooper Sanchez and Jude Terry; and forwards Chase Adams, Jamir Johnson and Kellan LeBlanc.
The 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup is historic in two ways. It will be the first of five consecutive U-17 World Cups held in Qatar from 2025-2029. Secondly, it features an expanded 48-team field for the first time. Those 48 teams are divided into 12 groups, with the top two finishers in each group, along with the eight best third-place teams, advancing to the Round of 32. From there, the tournament will feature a knockout bracket to the tournament final.
All group stage matches through the semifinals will be played at the Aspire Zone in Al Rayyan, Qatar. The 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup Final will be played at the 50,000-seat Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, the same stadium that hosted the USMNT’s Round of 16 match against the Netherlands in the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
| Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D | Group E | Group F |
| Qatar | Japan | Senegal | Argentina | England | Mexico |
| Italy | Morocco | Croatia | Belgium | Venezuela | Korea Republic |
| South Africa | New Caledonia | Costa Rica | Tunisia | Haiti | Ivory Coast |
| Bolivia | Portugal | United Arab Emirates | Fiji | Egypt | Switzerland |
| Group G | Group H | Group I | Group J | Group K | Group L |
| Germany | Brazil | USA | Paraguay | France | Mali |
| Colombia | Honduras | Burkina Faso | Uzbekistan | Chile | New Zealand |
| Korea DPR | Indonesia | Tajikistan | Panama | Canada | Austria |
| El Salvador | Zambia | Czechia | Ireland | Ugana | Saudi Arabia |
A number of stars for the senior USMNT have launched their international careers at the FIFA U-17 World Cup, and the last few U-17 cycles have made a significant impact on the current squad. Ten players from the USA’s 2022 FIFA World Cup roster represented the U.S. at a U-17 World Cup: Kellyn Acosta (2011), Tyler Adams (2015), Luca de la Torre (2015), Sergiño Dest (2017), Christian Pulisic (2015), Gio Reyna (2019), Josh Sargent (2017), Joe Scally (2019), Haji Wright (2015) and Tim Weah (2017).
In total, 38 players named to a U-17 World Cup roster have been capped by the senior USMNT, while 18 have been called to a senior World Cup. The competition has long been a launchpad for future USMNT stars. Landon Donovan won the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player at New Zealand 1999 as he helped the U.S. finish fourth alongside DaMarcus Beasley and current U.S. Soccer Vice President of Sporting Oguchi Onyewu. Future 100-cap club members Claudio Reyna and Tim Howard represented the U.S. at Scotland 1989 and Ecuador 1995, respectively.
The U.S. has qualified for 19 of 20 U-17 World Cups all-time, the most of any nation. The first edition of the tournament was held in China in 1985 and began as an under-16 competition known as the FIFA U-16 World Championship. The United States earned its maiden win in the group stage, securing a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over Bolivia, but ultimately fell short of advancing to the knockout rounds.
In 1991, FIFA adjusted the age restriction to include all under-17 players. The USA has advanced to the knockout stage on nine occasions, achieving its best finish in 1999. That year, the team finished fourth in New Zealand, led by several future USMNT stars, including Golden Ball winner Landon Donovan and Silver Ball winner DaMarcus Beasley. It marked the first time two players from the same team claimed both awards in the same tournament — a feat replicated only once more in the competition’s history. Despite a historic run that saw the U.S. top Group A in the opening phase and defeat long-time rivals Mexico in the quarterfinals, the national team fell to Australia in a dramatic penalty shootout after a 2-2 draw in regulation and extra time.
The USA’s most recent participation in the U-17 World Cup came in 2023 in Indonesia. Segares’ side finished second in Group E, tallying six points with a record of 2W-1L-0D. Among its opponents was Burkina Faso — a team it will once again share a group with in 2025 — where a 2-1 victory secured the Americans’ place in the Round of 16. In the quarterfinals, the United States faced off against the eventual champions Germany in a five-goal thriller, conceding a late goal that sealed the team’s elimination.
Apart from head coach Gonzalo Segares, his assistant coaches Ross Brady and Paul Souders, and goalkeeper coach Mark Pais, an additional 25 staff members are on the ground, providing support for the players and coaches during the entirety of the World Cup.
The staff includes video analysts, sports scientists, athletic trainers, physical therapist, doctors, team administrators, security, equipment managers, a chef, chaplain, content creation and communications, talent ID scouts, youth national team directors, and sporting analytics.
Austin Reynolds, Grant Heywood, Barry Pauwels, Rob Irvine, Stephanie Dominguez, Tom Zabielski, Nathan Mansell, Kip Dribnak, Michael Bruno, Nate Jones, Ryan Kruse, Ross Malik, Manny Del Toro, Eric Tschumperlin, Carter Rodman, Ben Petterman, Harvey Grijalba, Nestor Ruiz, David Russell, Allison Jacobson, Thomas Markey, Ivan Pierra, Conor Furey, Patrick Gabrysiak, and Alex Aldaz.
GOALKEEPERS (3): Rahim Ouattara (Colma AC), Prince Hamed Ouedraogo (Réal Du Faso), Yaya Sagnon (Free Agent)
DEFENDERS (6): Ousmane Ouedraogo (Stade Brest/FRA), Mikael Coulibaly (Réal Du Faso), Issouf Dabo (News Stars FC), Fadil Barro (Vitesse FC), Abdoul Ouedraogo (US Ouagadougou), Issouf Sangare (Free Agent)
MIDFIELDERS (8): Mohamed Fofana (News Stars FC), Ismael Zalle (Réal Du Faso), Mohamed Zongo (Sporting FC), Cherif Barro (Rahimo FC), Latif Diaby (AD Duha), Moussa Togola (Académie Gems Football/MAR), Eric Ouattara (Sporting FC), Eddie Kogo (Réal Du Faso)
FORWARDS (4): Halidou Diakite (ASF Bobo-Dioulasso), Mohamed Kabore (Sporting FC), Loukman Tapsoba (Réal Du Faso), Alassana Bagayogo (AJEB)
Burkina Faso’s performance at the CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco secured its qualification for the U-17 World Cup in Qatar, making it the first African nation to do so at the time. Les Étalons earned its ticket to the tournament with back-to-back 2-1 victories over Cameroon and Egypt, before rounding out the group stage with a 2-0 win against South Africa to top Group B with a perfect nine points. In the quarterfinals, the West African side thrashed Zambia 6-1 before falling 2-0 to Mali in the semifinals, ultimately finishing fourth in the competition.