Late August, early September 1985... The U-20 World Cup was taking place in the USSR, with matches from one group and a quarterfinal held in our republic, in Baku and even Sumgayit. Fans had the chance to watch young players from Mexico, China, Paraguay, England, and Nigeria live.
Years have passed, borders have changed, flags renewed. Azerbaijan gained its independence and established its new identity on the world map.
And now, 40 years later, Azerbaijan, together with friendly and brotherly Uzbekistan, has put forward a joint bid to host the 2027 U-20 World Cup. This news was first announced by Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev during his visit to Baku earlier this July, after a meeting with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev. In their joint statement, he said: “I congratulate the Azerbaijani minifootball team once again on becoming world champions. We rejoice in the success of Azerbaijani footballers. We decided to jointly apply to FIFA to host the U-20 World Cup together. I believe this will be a shared success for our youth.”
The close political, economic, and cultural ties between the two countries are now turning into joint steps in football as well. Good luck!
Azerbaijan already has experience organizing major football events during its independence, hosting matches of EURO 2020, the UEFA Europa League final, the U-17 European Championship, and the U-17 Women’s World Cup. Uzbekistan is no less accomplished, it has hosted Asian U-20 and U-23 championships and the Futsal World Cup, proving international football organizations’ confidence in its organizational abilities.
Yes, Azerbaijan represents Europe in football, while Uzbekistan represents Asia. Interestingly, the U-20 World Cup has never before been hosted simultaneously by two countries. The joint Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan bid, if successful, will offer a new experience for the tournament and symbolize the unity of two continents’ organizational strengths and the borderless, global spirit of football.
Uzbekistan made its Olympic football debut in 2024, and the 2026 World Cup will be a new milestone for its senior national team. With players joining clubs like Manchester City (Abdukodir Khusanov) and Roma (Eldor Shomurodov), Uzbek football is gaining more global recognition. Uzbekistan is familiar with the U-20 World Cup, having participated five times and twice reaching near the semifinals.
If Azerbaijan is selected as host, its team will earn the right to participate in the U-20 World Cup for the first time. However, Azerbaijan’s involvement in this tournament dates back to Soviet times. In 1977, Eldar Azimzade served as a referee in the inaugural tournament in Tunisia. Azerbaijani players were also part of the USSR youth teams: in 1979, 19-year-olds Igor Ponomarev and Vladimir Mikhaylevsky from Neftchi played in the final against Argentina featuring Maradona. Ponomarev scored first, but the match ended 1:3 with Diego’s goal the last. In 1989, 18-year-old Arif Asadov was in the USSR squad but did not play.
Looking at the bigger picture, South American teams clearly dominate youth football. Argentina has won six titles, Brazil five, maintaining leadership in this field. Interestingly, Italy, despite winning the senior World Cup four times, has never won the U-20 tournament, while Germany has only one title from 1981.
Legendary players such as Diego Maradona (1979), former Azerbaijan national coach Robert Prosinecki (1987), Lionel Messi (2005), Paul Pogba (2013), and Erling Haaland (2019) shone at the U-20 World Cup, earning awards like the Golden Ball or Golden Boot. Haaland also set a record by scoring nine goals in a 12-0 win over Honduras six years ago. FIFA calls the U-20 World Cup the "tournament of tomorrow’s superstars."
This year, the tournament will be held in Chile with 24 teams. Oceania’s New Caledonia, whose flag resembles ours, will compete for the first time.
FIFA will decide this year on the host for the 2027 U-20 World Cup. If Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan are chosen, it will be a “history repeating itself” moment, and a symbolic return to the spirit and memory of Azerbaijani football from 1985.
Rasim Movsumzadeh
Idman.biz
