Chile's women's U-17 team will make its debut on Monday, October 19 at 15:00 against Australia in the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, which begins this Saturday in Morocco and runs until November 7.
According to CNN Chile, Ecuadorian coach Vanessa Arauz's team is in Group F alongside Spain, Mexico and Australia. Chile qualified through the South American Championship in Paraguay. Chilevisión will broadcast the matches live on television and its digital platforms.
The schedule continues on Thursday, October 22, at 15:00 against Mexico. Chile closes its group campaign on Sunday, October 25, at 12:00 against Spain. La Tercera reported that the first two matches will be played on pitch 4 and the last on pitch 2 at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Rabat, the main venue.
The opponents have very different records. Australia is making its debut in the age category. Mexico was runner-up in 2018. Spain won the title in 2018 and 2022, making it look like the toughest opponent in the group.
This will be Chile's third World Cup appearance in the age category and its first in four years. At Trinidad and Tobago 2010, Chile lost all three matches with a generation that included Camila Sáez, Yanara Aedo and Fernanda Pinilla. At India 2022, with Álex Castro as coach, Chile earned its first win: 3-1 over New Zealand.
The goal now is to get through the group stage for the first time. The tournament brings together 24 national teams, four of them from the South American Football Confederation (Conmebol). The top two teams in each group and the four best third-place teams advance to the round of sixteen. North Korea is defending its back-to-back titles.
In its final preparations in Morocco, Chile beat the host team 1-0 and New Zealand 2-1. Arauz valued those days because they allowed the team to "acclimatize, get to know the surroundings, get to know the culture", as reported by La Tercera.
The 37-year-old coach was born in Quito. In 2015, she led Ecuador to qualification for the senior World Cup in Canada when she was 26, an achievement at such a young age that it was even recorded by Guinness.
The squad includes five players who won silver medals under Luis Mena at the recent South American Games in Santa Fe: Oriana Cristancho (U. de Chile), Florencia Gálvez (Santiago Wanderers), Amparo Abarca (U. Católica), Antonella Martínez (recently announced by UC) and Catalina Muñoz (Colo Colo).
After the opener against Australia, Chile will have two days of rest before facing Mexico on Thursday the 22nd.
