For the first time, five South American teams will play in the round of 16 of an Under-20 World Cup, after having qualified for Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Uruguay in this 2023 edition which takes place in Argentina.
The Argentine team led by Mascherano did not have the best crossover: they will face Nigeria, the best of all third parties, in the round of 16. It will be next Wednesday at 18:00 at the San Juan del Bicentenario stadium.
Argentina had to wait for the results of their Group E matches, in which Uruguay beat Tunisia 1-0 and England drew 0-0 against Iraq, which ended up defining the fate of Japan, the other possible rival of Javier Mascherano’s team.
The Nigerians finished third in the tough zone they shared with Brazil and Italy. They got the same number of points, even though they occupied the bottom step of the podium on goal difference.
That’s how the crosses were
Among the South American teams, the pairings of the Round of 16 stage will be: Colombia-Slovakia (Wednesday, 2.30 pm), Brazil-Tunisia (Wednesday, 2.30 pm), Argentina-Nigeria (Wednesday 6.40pm), Gambia-Uruguay (Thursday, 2.30pm) e Ecuador-South Korea (Thursday, 6pm).
Additionally, the US will play New Zealand (Tuesday, 2:30pm), Uzbekistan vs. Israel (Tuesday, 6pm)) and England and Italy (Wednesday 6pm) will play a European classic in Argentina.
Argentina, Brazil and Colombia progressed as leaders in their respective groups, while Ecuador and Uruguay certified their progress to the next round as runners-up.
“Historic! For the first time in an Under-20 World Cup, there will be five South American teams in the round of 16”, celebrated Conmebol on social media.
Of the five, only Albiceleste, which is in this World Cup because FIFA withdrew the organization from Indonesia over its protests over Israel’s participation, finished the group stage with sweeping victories. Three out of three.
The Argentine team is the most successful in the category with six stars. Brazil follows with five. It’s worth saying, bro the two football powers of our continent add more titles than all of Europe combined.
On the other side of the ocean, the champions of the category are the following: Portugal (2), Spain, France, Serbia, England, Ukraine and the extinct Soviet Union, Federal Republic of Germany and Yugoslavia.
Of the African confederation, only Ghana lifted the trophy in the 2009 edition held in Egypt.
Source: Clarin
Jason Root is the go-to source for sports coverage at News Rebeat. With a passion for athletics and an in-depth knowledge of the latest sports trends, Jason provides comprehensive and engaging analysis of the world of sports.