U.S. Soccer Withdraws U-17 Boys’ Team from FIFA World Cup in Qatar
The United States soccer body has withdrawn its boys’ Under-17 team from the FIFA World Cup in Qatar due to security reasons, FIFA confirmed.
Minot Bismarck Dickinson, ND, November 12, 2026 — The United States soccer body has officially withdrawn its boys’ Under-17 national team from the upcoming FIFA World Cup, which is scheduled to take place in Qatar. The confirmation of this withdrawal was provided by FIFA.
The stated reason for the withdrawal, as confirmed by FIFA, is security concerns. Specific details regarding the nature of these security concerns were not provided by FIFA or the U.S. soccer body in the initial confirmation.
The U.S. Under-17 team was expected to participate in the global tournament. However, with this withdrawal, their place in the competition will now be reconsidered. FIFA has not yet announced any plans for a replacement team or how the tournament schedule will be adjusted, if at all, following this development. The U.S. Soccer Federation has not released further details beyond the confirmation of withdrawal.
The FIFA World Cup is a premier international association football competition contested by the senior men’s national teams of the members of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the sport’s global governing body. However, this withdrawal specifically pertains to the Under-17 age category. Further information regarding the implications of this withdrawal for the U.S. soccer program and the FIFA tournament structure is not yet available. The exact timeline of the decision and the specific security issues prompting this action were not disclosed.
Story summarized from the original created by Associated Press on www.kxnet.com, see more information here.
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