Young Socceroos draw Cup hosts

Draw ... Mustafa Amini is expected to play a big part in the U20 World Cup. Source: Gary Graham / News Limited

The Young Socceroos have been given a favourable draw for the group stages of the Under-20 World Cup in Turkey.

Paul Okon's team were drawn alongside hosts Turkey, Colombia and El Salvador with the first game to be played on June 22 in Trabzon.

• Group A
• France, CAF, USA, Spain.
• Group B
• Cuba, Korea Republic, CAF, Portugal
• Group C
• Turkey, El Salvador, Colombia, Australia
• Group D
• Mexico, Greece, Paraguay, CAF
• Group E
• Chile, CAF Champions, England, Iraq
• Group F
• OFC Champions, Uzbekistan, Uruguay, Croatia

The team qualified after making the semi-finals of  the AFC Under-19 Youth Championships in the UAE and Okon was confident his players would make a positive impact on the tournament.

"All the groups at the FIFA U-20 World Cup will be tough. Every game will be a final and we look forward to representing Australia and showcasing Australia as a serious football country," Okon said.

"We are confident that we can rise to this wonderful occasion.

"Playing in a World Cup is a huge challenge but none more so than playing in a group that has the host nation.

"This is a fantastic opportunity for our players to play against the world's best players."

The Australians will face Colombia in the first game before matches against El Salvador on June 25 and Turkey on June 28.

The 19th edition of this FIFA youth football tournament will see 24 nations play a total of 52 matches in the seven host cities of Antalya, Bursa, Gaziantep, Istanbul, Kayseri, Rize and Trabzon.

The opening match of the tournament will see Cuba play the Korea Republic on Friday 21 June in Kayseri.

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