2021 WAFF U-18 Championship, also called 2021 EarthLink WAFF U-18 Championship due to sponsorship by EarthLink Telecommunications, was the second edition of the West Asian Football Federation (WAFF)'s under-18 championship.[1] It took place between 20 November and 1 December 2021 in Iraq.[2]
| بطولة غرب آسيا لكرة القدم تحت 18 عاما | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | Iraq |
| City | Baghdad (Final match) Basra (Group A) Erbil (Group B) |
| Dates | 20 November – 1 December |
| Teams | 9 (from 1 sub-confederation) |
| Venue(s) | 3 (in 3 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Iraq (2nd title) |
| Runners-up |  Lebanon |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 17 |
| Goals scored | 32 (1.88 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Asahr Ali (3 goals) |
| Best player(s) | Ali El Fadl |
| Best goalkeeper | Hussein Amoyed |
← 2019 2024 → | |
The tournament featured nine teams divided into a two groups of four and five.[3] Hosts Iraq won the tournament, beating Lebanon on penalty shoot-outs in the final.[4]
Teams
editParticipants
edit| Team | Appearance | Last appearance | Previous best performance |
|---|---|---|---|
 Bahrain
|
2nd | 2019 | Group stage (2019) |
| Iraq
|
2nd | 2019 | Champions (2019) |
 Jordan
|
2nd | 2019 | Third place (2019) |
 Kuwait
|
1st | — | — |
| Lebanon
|
1st | — | — |
 Palestine
|
2nd | 2019 | Fourth place (2019) |
 Syria
|
1st | — | — |
 United Arab Emirates
|
2nd | 2019 | Runners-up (2019) |
 Yemen
|
1st | — | — |
Format
editTwo groups of nine teams; the host country Iraq were in Group A, which contained five teams, while Group B contained four teams. Unlike the previous edition, only the group winners advance directly to the final.
Squads
editA total of nine teams played in the tournament, with players born on or after 1 January 2003 eligible to participate. Each team had to register a squad of up to 23 players, three of whom must be goalkeepers.
Officials
editVenue
edit| Basra | Baghdad | Erbil | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basra International Stadium | Al-Madina Stadium | Franso Hariri Stadium | |
| Capacity: 65,227 | Capacity: 32,000 | Capacity: 25,000 | |
Groups stage
editGroup A
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iraq (H)
|
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 1 | +8 | 9 | Advance to the final |
| 2 | Kuwait
|
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 7 | |
| 3 | Yemen
|
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | −2 | 6 | |
| 4 | Bahrain
|
4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | −4 | 4 | |
| 5 | Palestine
|
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 3 |
| Yemen | 0–2 | Palestine |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Palestine | 1–2 | Kuwait |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Group B
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lebanon
|
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 7 | Advance to the final |
| 2 | Jordan
|
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 6 | |
| 3 | Syria
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 3 | |
| 4 | United Arab Emirates
|
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | −3 | 1 |
| United Arab Emirates | 0–2 | Jordan |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Syria | 1–0 | United Arab Emirates |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Final
edit
Champion
edit| 2021 WAFF U-18 Championship champion |
|---|
 Iraq Second title |
Player awards
editThe following awards were given at the conclusion of the tournament:
| Top Goalscorer | Best player | Best Goalkeeper |
|---|---|---|
| Ashar Ali
|
Ali El Fadl
|
Hussein Hassan
|
Goalscorers
editThere were 32 goals scored in 17 matches, for an average of 1.88 goals per match.
3 goals
2 goals
1 goal
1 own goal
Nawaf Al-Ayassi (against Syria)
References
edit- ^ "اتحاد غرب آسيا يثبت تفاصيل أربع بطولات من قائمة أجندة ٢٠٢١". 1 July 2021. Archived from the original on 19 January 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
- ^ "أربيل تضيّف شباب غرب آسيا وسعيد يكشف أجندة الاتحاد". 5 July 2021. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
- ^ "إعلان موعد قرعة بطولة غرب آسيا للشباب". 27 October 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
- ^ "المنتخب العراقي يتوج بالذهب ببطولة ايرثلنك للشباب". 3 December 2021. Archived from the original on 19 January 2023. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
- ^ "منتخب شباب اليمن يصعق العراق في لقاء جماهيري بغرب آسيا". almalaeb.net. 26 November 2021. Archived from the original on 19 January 2023. Retrieved 28 November 2021.