Historic! Dominican Republic qualifies for the first time for the U-17 World Cup in Qatar 2026

FIFA confirmed on Thursday that the Dominican Republic's men's Under-17 team will play in the World Cup in Qatar 2026, from November 19 to December 13. It is the first time in history that the country has qualified for a World Cup in this age category.

The ticket came after the withdrawal of the United States, announced on Tuesday, November 11, for security reasons, linked to the Level 3 travel advisory Washington maintains for Qatar and the Gulf region. FIFA named the Dominican Republic as the replacement for its performance in the Concacaf qualifiers: it finished second in Group E with 7 points, tied with the Americans and behind only on goal difference, after drawing with them in their head-to-head match.

The Dominican team was placed in Group J, alongside Montenegro, Chile and Algeria. Its debut will be on Saturday, November 21, against Montenegro. It will be the Dominican Republic's third appearance in a FIFA World Cup, after the men's Under-20 team in Argentina 2023 and the women's Under-17 team as hosts in 2024.

“The last 24 hours have been utter madness,” said Yelena Hazim Figuereo, secretary general of the Dominican Football Federation. “We will go to Qatar with great excitement, responsibility and a firm commitment to represent the Dominican Republic with dignity,” she added. The federation said it will announce details of the preparation and schedule in the coming hours.

Photo: CDN Deportes

Source: CDN Deportes