"The tournament has become FIFA's guinea pig as it becomes the first to try out the 48-team format the one that will be on show at the World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico next year. It's also the start of an annual cycle of these under-17 tournaments, and the first of five consecutive tournaments to be played in Qatar."
"Players could potentially play eight matches within about three and a half weeks if they reach the final, roughly one every three to four days. Even as a single event, that represents a demanding schedule for developing players, particularly when recovery opportunities are limited," Sean Williams, who works at the University of Bath, England, and specializes in sports injury prevention, load management and growth and maturation, told DW."
FIFA will test its 48-team World Cup format at the 2025 U-17 men's tournament, initiating an annual cycle and staging the first of five consecutive editions in Qatar. The expanded format and repeated Qatar hosting concentrate competition and travel demands for teenage players. Youths could face the prospect of playing multiple World Cups across successive years, increasing exposure. Match congestion can reach up to eight matches in roughly three and a half weeks, about one every three to four days, with limited recovery. Wide variations in fitness and training backgrounds among participants elevate injury and development risks. Germany are the defending champions but are not expected to challenge this time.
Read at www.dw.com
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