ABU DHABI — The countdown to the biggest international football tournament ever to be held in the United Arab Emirates began Tuesday as the official emblem of the FIFA U-17 World Cup UAE 2013 was unveiled at the Emirates Palace hotel here. The 15th edition of the tournament, which takes place across five of the Emirates of the UAE from Oct. 17 to Nov. 8, is sure to be one of the highlights of the UAE sporting calendar this year. The official emblem depicts an oyster shell and pearl in the national colors of the UAE, a reference to the country's historical relationship with fishing and pearl diving. An audience of distinguished guests, including Yousef Y. Al-Serkal, Chairman of the Local Organizing Committee, Mohammed Abdulla Bin Bdoua, Tournament Director, and Yousef Mohammed Rasool Khoory, Head of Marketing for Local Organizing Committee, were present on the occasion. In all 24 nations will compete for the prestigious FIFA U-17 World Cup trophy, aiming to emulate Mexico's history-making Champions of 2011 and be crowned the best teenage team on the planet. Over the years, the tournament has been the birthplace of some of the biggest stars in the game, with the likes of Ronaldinho (Brazil), Luis Figo (Portugal), Alessandro Del Piero (Italy) and Juan Sebastian Veron (Argentina) all having made their name as youngsters in previous FIFA U-17 World Cup tournaments. A total of 52 matches will be played over the three-week period in six of the UAE's top stadiums — Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, Emirates Stadium in Ras Al-Khaimah, Fujairah Stadium in Fujairah, Sharjah Stadium in Sharjah, Rashid Stadium in Dubai and Khalifa Bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain. The final 24 qualified nations will begin the tournament in six groups of four, with the top two teams in each group automatically qualifying for the Round of 16. The four best third-placed teams from the Group stages will also progress to the knock-out stages. Already confirmed as joining the host nation in the final lineup of 24 finalists are Iran, Iraq, Japan and Uzbekistan who all qualified by virtue of having reached the semifinals of the 2012 AFC U-16 Championship last year. A further 19 nations will continue to battle it out in the qualifiers, with four places up for grabs in the CAF region, six from UEFA, four from CONCACAF, one from OFC and four from CONMEBOL. — SG
