The Junior Football Ferns, coached by Aaron McFarland, have been drawn in Group A and will meet the hosts, Mexico and Switzerland in a bid to become the first U-20 women’s side from their country to progress to the knockout phases.
That quest will not be easy to fulfil as the Japanese have shown tremendous progress in the last year, following in the senior side’s footsteps, while Switzerland and tournament regulars Mexico will also be looking to impress.
The draw was held this month in downtown Tokyo and was presided over by Tatjana Haenni, FIFA’s Head of Women’s Competitions.
It was carried out by four star members of Japan’s 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup™-winning side – namely Homare Sawa, Kozue Ando, Azusa Iwashimizu and Saki Kumagai – and also assisting were Nogizaka 46, with the local pop-chart toppers adding some youth-orientated colour for the assembled audience.
In the other pools, South American heavyweights Brazil will be looking to erase the memory of a group stage exit at Germany 2010 when they take on Group B opponents Korea Republic, Italy, and Nigeria.
Korea DPR, who were runners-up in 2008, will face Canada, Norway, and Argentina in Group C but Group D appears the toughest section as two-time world champions USA have been pitted against holders Germany, China PR and Ghana.
The 21-day tournament will take place across five venues, including Hiroshima, Kobe, Miyagi, Saitama and Tokyo, with the historic Japanese capital playing host to the final.
The 16 teams were split into four groups of four, with the top two teams from each group progressing to the quarter-finals.
FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Japan 2012
Group A: Japan, Mexico, Switzerland, New Zealand
Group B: Brazil, Korea Republic, Italy, Nigeria
Group C: Korea DPR, Canada, Norway, Argentina
Group D: USA, China PR, Germany, Ghana