FIFA has appointed the Dominican Republic's national team to replace the United States at the 2026 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar, following the U.S. team's withdrawal from the tournament over security concerns amid escalating tensions in the Middle East.
"The Dominican Republic will compete at the FIFA U-17 World Cup Qatar 2026™ following the withdrawal of U.S. Soccer from the tournament," FIFA said in a statement published on its official website on Friday, as quoted by ANTARA.
The decision was made in accordance with Article 6, Paragraph 8 of the Regulations for the FIFA U-17 World Cup Qatar 2025-2029, which stipulates that a team withdrawing from the tournament must be replaced by another team from the same confederation. Since the United States represented the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF), its replacement had to come from the same regional governing body.
The Dominican Republic was selected based on its strong performance in the qualifying competition, where it remained unbeaten throughout the group stage in Group E. The appointment marks the Dominican Republic's first-ever appearance at the FIFA U-17 World Cup.
"FIFA looks forward to welcoming the Dominican Republic to Qatar, where they will join the hosts and ten teams that are already in the country and those that are scheduled to arrive in the coming days," FIFA said.
The Dominican Republic will compete in Group J alongside Montenegro, Chile, and Algeria.
