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Poland will host the 2019 U-20 World Cup!
With great joy and satisfaction, the Polish Football Association accepts the decision of the International Federation of Association Football appointing Poland as the host of the final tournament of the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup. „We are very pleased to hear FIFA’s decision”, said Zbigniew Boniek, President of the Polish Football Association.
The application to host the youth World Cup in 2019 prepared by the Polish Football Association was 3300 pages long and weighed 17 kilograms. FIFA appreciated the effort and unanimously accorded the organization of the second most important football tournament in the world, colloquially eferred to as the „little World Cup”, to Poland.
„This shows the great trust that was shown to us by the biggest football organization in the world. We are a reliable and proven partner for the entire football community around the world. After organising the final tournament of the 2012 UEFA European Championship, the final tournament of the 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship and the 2015 UEFA Europa League Final, the time has come for another test, which we, as a federation and as a country, will not fail. This is even more true given that this final tournament will take place in the year of the 100th anniversary of the formation of the Polish Football Association”, said President Zbigniew Boniek.
„Thanks to the perfectly prepared application and the involvement of many people, starting with President Boniek, we can once again proudly say that Poland will host a prestigious event. For PZPN, this tournament will present yet another great opportunity to promote and develop football in our country”, added Maciej Sawicki, Secretary General of PZPN, revealing that the application submitted to FIFA included six host cities: Łódź, Bydgoszcz, Gdynia, Lublin, Lubin and Tychy. „That was the minimum set by FIFA. However, we are opting for the tournament to take place across 12 cities, so the list of the championship hosts is not yet final. We have many beautiful stadiums of which we can be proud”, explained Sawicki.
Poland will be the fifth European country to organize the FIFA U-20 World Cup. 24 teams will participate in the 2019 tournament, with England as the defending champions. „This championship has its history. In 2005, Leo Messi was the top scorer and the best player of the tournament. But his countryman, Diego Maradona, was also named the best player of the championship in 1979. I believe that in 2019, many talented players, who will shape the future of global football, will appear on the pitches in Poland as well”, added the Secretary General of PZPN.
The role of the head coach of the Poland National Team for the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland will be taken over by Jacek Magiera, while Marek Koźmiński, 45 times player for the national team and Vice-President for Coaching at PZPN, will be the team’s ambassador. „I appreciate the trust I was given. Naturally, we would like to show our best performance during this tournament and prove that we are worthy of representing our country. Our mission is simple – we want to prepare as many players for participation in the first national team as possible. I hope young players will take to heart the fact that regular play is crucial and that the U-20 World Cup may present them with a golden opportunity”, said Jacek Magiera during the conference at the PGE National Stadium.
Paweł Drażba
