Azernews.Az

By Nigar Orujova, AzerNews Staff Writer

After lengthy and hard preparations and training, U-17 Women's World Cup football tournament will kick off in Azerbaijan on Saturday.

Holding the World Cup in Azerbaijan is an important milestone in the development of women's football, FIFA President Joseph Blatter said at a press conference in the capital Baku on Friday over the opening of the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup Azerbaijan 2012.

The U-17 Women's World Cup follows hot on the traces of the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Japan 2012 and the Women's Olympic Football Tournament in London.

It is the third competition in this age category, with 16 teams aiming for a spot in the final on October 13. Alongside women's football giants such as USA, Germany, Brazil and Japan, there are several newcomers as Gambia, China, Uruguay and hosts Azerbaijan, all making their tournament debuts. By now, all the teams have arrived in Azerbaijan.

The tournament will be opened by a magnificent show at the Tofig Bahramov Stadium of Baku, with the participation of world famous Cirque du Soleil, self-described as a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment", and American singer Jennifer Lopez.

The draw held on July 6 decided that rivals of the Azerbaijani team in Group A are Columbia, Nigeria and Canada.

Group B includes France, the United States, North Korea, and Gambia, while Group C -- Mexico, New Zealand, Brazil and Japan, and vying in Group D are Germany, China, Uruguay and Ghana.

"Women's football in Azerbaijan is still young, but despite this, we set a goal to at least qualify from the group," said Secretary General of the Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan (AFFA), Elkhan Mammadov.

Azerbaijani head coach Sissy Raith noted that the Azerbaijani national team has been working hard to prepare for the tournament.

"We'll need a big slice of luck in order to get a positive result. It'll be really tough against Nigeria and Canada. Physically they'll have the advantage over us and we'll need a small miracle to compete with them. But then again, miracles are always happening in football. We'll have to wait and see," Raith told FIFA.com in an exclusive interview.

"It's going to be a three-week party -- a party on a scale possibly never seen before at a U-17 World Cup!" the coach added.

Group A and B members are to open the tournament with matches in Baku and Lankaran, southern Azerbaijan, on Saturday, September 22: North Korea - Gambia (Baku, 8 km Stadium, 13.00), Nigeria - Canada (Baku, Tofig Bahramov Stadium,17.00), Azerbaijan - Colombia (Baku, Tofig Bahramov Stadium, 20.00), France - USA (Lankaran, Lankaran City Stadium, 15.00).

The decision to grant Azerbaijan the right to host the championship was made on March 19, 2010.

Five stadiums in Baku and one in Lankaran had been officially announced as venues for the championship.