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. It is a figure that is very popular in children's literature in Russia, and one frequently said to possess beauty, intelligence, speed and craftiness; traits it shares with many of Russia's promising young women footballers.
Alissa sports a football strip in the colours of the Russian flag, a fitting choice for the proud host country of this world championship. Naturally, they never go anywhere without their loyal friend, a football, whose company it enjoys immensely. This lively little fox is unquestionably female, as demonstrated by Alissa's long tied-back hair and sports skirt, but then again this is a women's festival of football.
The 16 participating U-20 women's teams from the six FIFA confederations are:
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.
All times local (UTC+4)
The following awards were given for the tournament:[1]
Mercedes Pereyra Belén Potassa.svg/1280px-Flag_of_Australia_(converted).svg.png){kind=small}
Danielle Brogan Sally Shipard
Adriane Francielle.svg/1280px-Flag_of_Canada_(Pantone).svg.png){kind=small}
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
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