Armenia will co-host the 2029 FIFA U-20 World Cup alongside Georgia, the FIFA Council confirmed on Tuesday during its meeting in Vancouver, Canada, held ahead of the 76th FIFA Congress.
It will be the first FIFA tournament of any kind ever staged in either country, the outcome of a joint bid the two federations launched in June 2024. “Armenia and Georgia set to host the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2029. This will be the first ever FIFA tournament to be held in either country,” the global governing body announced on X.
The Football Federation of Armenia (FFA) framed the announcement in historic terms. “This is an unprecedented achievement for Armenian football. For the first time, our country will host a major international football tournament of this scale, reflecting the great trust of the international football community,” the FFA said in a statement.
“This is an invaluable gift to Armenian fans, supporters of Armenian football, and, of course, to young footballers, who will have the opportunity to experience the atmosphere of a World Cup on home soil and dream of great victories. This is a victory for all of us. Welcome to the World Championship, welcome to Armenia and Georgia. Let us prepare together to host the world’s strongest youth teams.”
Matches in Armenia will be held in Yerevan, Vanadzor, and Ijevan, and all necessary infrastructure is being upgraded, Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan confirmed.
“We will soon actively begin preparing to properly host the tournament. This is a very important event for all of us. I want to congratulate Georgia, and I want to congratulate all of us in Armenia, football players and fans alike, on this important event and decision,” he said.
The FIFA U-20 World Cup is held every two years and is widely regarded as the governing body’s third-largest men’s tournament. The next edition, in 2027, will be jointly hosted by Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan, the first time the competition is held across two countries. The 2029 edition in Armenia and Georgia will follow that same co-hosting model.
