The Kalinga Stadium here will host India’s matches of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2022 on October 11, 14 and 17 this year. This was officially announced by the FIFA and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the biennial youth tournament on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Goa and Navi Mumbai will play home to the semifinal and final matches of India’s first-ever FIFA women’s tournament, respectively.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said, “Extremely happy and excited to learn that Bhubaneswar will be hosting group matches of India in the upcoming FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup India 2022. The leading sports destination is ready to provide the grandeur the home team needs for this grand tournament.”
This is a major feather in the cap for Odisha after having previously hosted the Men’s Hockey World Cups at both the senior and junior levels. The State had also earlier hosted major domestic football tournaments like ISL, I-League, Indian Super Cup and the Indian Women’s League.