The WAFF U-20 Championship () is an international football competition organised by the West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) for the men's youth national teams of its member associations. The competition was inaugurated in 2019 as the WAFF U-18 Championship, before being held as the WAFF U-19 Championship in 2024 and being scheduled to become an under-20 competition in 2027.
History
The first edition was held in Ramallah, Palestine, from 22 to 30 August 2019 as the WAFF U-18 Championship. Six teams participated in the inaugural tournament, which was organised as preparation for the 2020 AFC U-19 Championship qualification campaign. Iraq won the title after defeating the United Arab Emirates on penalties in the final.
The 2021 edition was again held as an under-18 competition, this time in Iraq from 20 November to 1 December. Nine teams participated, with matches played in Basra, Erbil, and Baghdad. Iraq retained the title after defeating Lebanon on penalties in the final.
The competition returned in 2024 as the WAFF U-19 Championship. Hosted in Taif, Saudi Arabia, from 25 June to 5 July, the tournament featured 12 teams, including Albania as a guest nation. Saudi Arabia won the championship after defeating the United Arab Emirates 1–0 in the final.
The 2027 edition is scheduled to be the first held at under-20 level. The tournament was originally planned to take place in Kuwait from 23 March to 2 April 2026, but was postponed in March 2026. In August 2026, WAFF announced that the tournament would instead be held in March 2027, with the host to be determined.
Results EditionYearHosts ChampionsScore and Venue Runners-up Third placeScore and Venue Fourth placeNo. of Teams120190–0 (4–2 pen.)Faisal al-Husseini Stadium, Ramallah3–0Faisal al-Husseini Stadium, Ramallah6220210–0 (3–2 pen.)Al-Madina Stadium, Baghdad9320241–0 and 12 Notes
a.e.t.: after extra time pen.: after penalty shoot-out TBD: to be determined
Teams reaching the top four + Teams reaching the top fourTeamTitlesRunners-upThird placeFourth placeSemi-finalistsTotal2 (2019, 2021)21 (2024)12 (2019, 2024)21 (2021)11 (2019)1 (2024)21 (2024)11 (2019)1
See also WAFF Championship WAFF U-23 Championship WAFF U-17 Championship AFC U-20 Asian Cup
References