US Soccer Withdraws From FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar
Armed conflict risks in the Middle East prompted U.S. Soccer to withdraw its national team from the men’s FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Qatar.
The U.S. State Department issued a Level 3 travel advisory for Qatar on October 23, urging Americans to reconsider travel because of the risk of armed conflict. That advisory cited Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, including on civilian airports and critical infrastructure.
“We are writing to inform you of the difficult decision to cancel our World Cup pre-camp and our planned participation in the World Cup,” U.S. Soccer said in a letter sent to players on Wednesday. The letter said that the U.S. State Department’s Level 3 travel advisory and related directives for embassy staff and families drove the decision.
BREAKING NEWS U. S. Soccer is pulling the U17 USYNT out of the U17 World Cup for safety concerns. Not sure if other countries will do the same, but I am hearing U. S. is out. Players have been informed.
“The well-being of our players and staff will always be our top priority,” the letter said, as reported by ESPN.”
The 48-team tournament runs from November 19 to December 13. U.S. U-17 head coach Alex Aldaz named a 21-player roster for the competition last week, with the team originally scheduled to open against Montenegro on November 21 before facing Chile and Algeria in the group stage, ESPN reported.
In last year’s edition of the tournament, which was also held in Qatar, the U.S. was eliminated in the round of 32 after FIFA announced that the country would host the event annually between 2025 and 2029.
U.S. Soccer stated it would notify the players’ clubs on Wednesday and instructed players not to comment publicly until FIFA announces the decision. FIFA did not immediately respond to a request for comment, RTÉ reported. Meanwhile, Ireland qualified for the tournament for the second year in a row and will face Brazil in their opening match on November 21, followed by games against Costa Rica and Tanzania.
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