The 2006 FIFA U-20 Women's World Championship was held in Russia from 17 August to 3 September 2006. It was the officially recognized world championship for women's under-20 national association football teams. Matches were held in four Moscow stadiums (Dynamo, Lokomotiv, Podmoskovie Stadium and Torpedo Stadium) and one in Saint Petersburg (Petrovsky Stadium).

This was the third women's world youth championship organized by FIFA, but the first with an age limit of 20. The first two events, held in Canada in 2002 and Thailand in 2004, had an age limit of 19. FIFA changed the age limit to prepare for the creation of an under-17 championship in 2008.

North Korea won the tournament. They became the first Asian team to win a FIFA women's tournament and the first Asian football team to win any FIFA tournaments since Saudi Arabia's triumph in the 1989 FIFA U-16 World Championship. The official mascot is a little fox called Alissa.

Venues CityStadiumCapacitySaint PetersburgPetrovsky Stadium21,570MoscowTorpedo Stadium13,400ShchyolkovoPodmoskovie Stadium5,000MoscowDynamo Stadium36,540MoscowLocomotiv Stadium28,800

Squads

Qualified teams

The 16 participating U-20 women's teams from the six FIFA confederations are:

Confederation (Continent) Qualifying Tournament Qualifier(s)AFC (Asia)2006 AFC U-19 Women's ChampionshipCAF (Africa)2006 African U-20 Women's World Cup Qualifying TournamentCONCACAF(North, Central America & Caribbean)2006 CONCACAF Under 19 Women's Qualifying TournamentCONMEBOL (South America)2006 South American Under-20 Women's Football ChampionshipOFC (Oceania)2004 OFC Under-19 Women's Qualifying TournamentUEFA (Europe)Host nation2005 UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship 1.Teams that made their debut.

Group stage The draw for the tournament was held in Moscow's City Hall on 22 March 2006. 14 of the 16 competing teams (the two CAF teams were then still undecided) learned their first-round groupings.

Group A

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Group B

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Group C

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Group D

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Knockout stage

Quarterfinals

Semifinals

Third place play-off

Final

Awards

The following awards were given for the tournament:

Golden BallSilver BallBronze Ball Ma Xiaoxu Zhang Yanru Danesha AdamsGolden ShoeSilver ShoeBronze Shoe Ma Xiaoxu Kim Song-hui Anna Blässe5 goals5 goals4 goals FIFA Fair Play Award and

All star team GoalkeepersDefendersMidfieldersForwards Zhang Yanru Valerie Henderson Daiane Coralie Butcher Babett Peter Hong Myong-gum Ri Jin-ok Ri Un-hyang Collette McCallum Cynthia Uwak Celia Okoyino Da Mbabi Kim Kyong-hwa Kim Chun-hui Amanda Poach Fabiana Ma Xiaoxu Amandine Henry Rita Chikwelu Kil Son-hui Elena Danilova Danesha Adams

Scorers 5 goals Ma Xiaoxu Kim Song-hui

4 goals Anna Blässe Cynthia Uwak

3 goals

Ludmila Manicler Fatmire Bajramaj Maureen Eke Danesha Adams

2 goals

Collette McCallum Fabiana Jodi-Ann Robinson Zi Jingjing Marie-Laure Delie Nadine Kessler Simone Laudehr Célia Okoyino Da Mbabi Charlyn Corral Rita Chikwelu Akudo Sabi Jo Yun-mi Jong Pok-hui Kil Son-hui Kim Kyong-hwa Anna Kozhnikova Vanessa Bürki Amy Rodriguez Jessica Rostedt Kelley O'Hara

1 goal

Mercedes Pereyra Belén Potassa Danielle Brogan Sally Shipard Adriane Francielle Amanda Chiccini Kaylyn Kyle Lou Xiaoxu You Jia Zhang Weishuang Trésorine Nzuzi Laure Boulleau Amandine Henry Jessica Houara Louisa Necib Juliane Maier Lydia Neumann Jennifer Oster Monique Cisneros Maria de Lourdes Gordillo Mónica Ocampo Abby Erceg Emma Humphries Tawa Ishola Hong Myong-gum O Kum-hui Ri Un-hyang Kim Hyang-mi Kim Ok-sim Svetlana Akimova Elena Terekhova Alexandra Long Casey Nogueira

Own goals Yuan Fan (for Finland)

Further information

This was the first time an Australian football team has played in a worldwide competition as an Asian Football Confederation team. However, the country's senior men's team was the first to play as an AFC team, competing in its first 2007 Asian Cup qualifier in February 2006, two months before the AFC qualifiers for this competition. Before 1 January 2006, Australia was a member of the Oceania Football Confederation. This was the first U-20 Women's tournament in which a Canadian has not won the Golden Shoe award, given to the top goal scorer of the tournament. Canadians Christine Sinclair and Brittany Timko won the award in 2002 and 2004 respectively.

Notes

References

External links FIFA U-20 Women's World Championship Russia 2006, FIFA.com FIFA Technical Report