WAFF U-17 Championship

WAFF U-17 Championship
Founded2005; 21 years ago (2005)
RegionWest Asia (WAFF)
Teams7 (as of 2026)
Current champions Lebanon (1st title)
Most championships Iran
 Iraq
 Yemen
 Syria
 Saudi Arabia
(2 titles each)
2026 WAFF U-17 Championship

The WAFF U-17 Championship (Arabic: بطولة اتحاد غرب آسيا للناشئين تحت 17 عاماً) is an international football competition contested by the men's under-17 national teams of the West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) member associations. It is part of WAFF's youth championship programme, which was inaugurated in 2005 with an under-15 tournament, won by hosts Iran. The competition has subsequently been held under different age designations, including under-15 and under-16, before being established as an under-17 competition.

History

The first WAFF youth championship was held in Hamadan, Iran, in 2005 as an under-15 competition. Six national teams participated: Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Palestine. The competition continued at under-15 level through 2007 and 2009.

The 2013 edition was held in Palestine as the WAFF U-16 Championship. It attracted international attention after several members of the participating teams were initially denied entry to the West Bank by Israeli authorities. The incident prompted calls for action from FIFA and UEFA, before the necessary entry permits were issued and the tournament was allowed to proceed. Iraq won the tournament.

The 2015 edition was won by Iraq, who successfully defended the regional title won in 2013. The tournament was contested by five teams in a round-robin format. The 2018 edition was also held at under-16 level, with Japan participating as a guest team and winning the tournament after four victories. The competition returned to under-15 level in 2019. It remained at that age level in 2021, when Yemen won the title for the first time.

In 2022, the competition returned to under-16 level. Hosts Jordan defeated Lebanon 1–0 in the final to win the championship for the first time. The 2023 edition, held in Oman, was contested at under-15 level. It was the tenth edition of the WAFF youth championship and featured eight teams divided into two groups of four, followed by semi-finals and a final. Saudi Arabia won the tournament after defeating Yemen on penalties in the final. The competition returned to under-16 level in 2024, which was held in Jordan. Syria defeated Saudi Arabia on penalties in the final to win their second title.

The 2025 edition marked the first time that the competition was held at under-17 level. It was hosted by Jordan, with Saudi Arabia winning their second title after defeating Lebanon on penalties in the final. The competition continued at under-17 level in 2026, with seven teams participating in the tournament in Jordan. Lebanon defeated Yemen on penalties in the final to win the championship for the first time.

Results

WAFF U-17 Championship
Edition Year Host Final Third place match No. of Teams
Champions Score Runners-up Third place Score Fourth place
1 2005 Iran
Iran		 2–0
Shariati Stadium, Karaj
Syria
Iraq		 5–0
Shariati Stadium, Karaj
Lebanon		 6
2 2007 Syria
Syria
Iran
Jordan
Iraq		 5
3 2009 Jordan
Iran		 3–2
Petra Stadium, Amman
Syria
Iraq		 3–1
Petra Stadium, Amman
Jordan		 9
4 2013 Palestine
Iraq
United Arab Emirates
Jordan
Palestine		 4
5 2015 Jordan
Iraq
Saudi Arabia
United Arab Emirates
Palestine		 5
6 2018 Jordan
Japan
India
Jordan
Yemen		 5
7 2019 Jordan
Saudi Arabia
Jordan
Syria
Iraq		 9
8 2021 Saudi Arabia
Yemen		 1–1 (a.e.t.)
(5–4 (p))
Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium, Dammam
Saudi Arabia		  Syria and  United Arab Emirates 9
9 2022 Jordan
Jordan		 1–0
Aqaba Stadium, Aqaba
Lebanon		  Iraq and  Syria 8
10 2023 Oman
Yemen		 1–1 (a.e.t.)
(3–2 (p))
Al-Saada Stadium, Salalah
Saudi Arabia		  Iraq and  United Arab Emirates 8
11 2024 Jordan
Syria		 1–0
Aqaba Stadium, Aqaba
Saudi Arabia		  Jordan and  Palestine 9
12 2025 Jordan
Saudi Arabia		 1–1 (a.e.t.)
(5–3 (p))
Aqaba Stadium, Aqaba
Lebanon		  Jordan and  Syria 7
13 2026 Jordan
Lebanon		 1–1
(4–3 (p))
Aqaba Stadium, Aqaba
Yemen		  Jordan and  United Arab Emirates 7
Notes
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 The tournament was played in a round-robin league format.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 The two semi-finalists did not play a third-place match.

Teams reaching the top four

Teams reaching the top four
Team Titles Runners-up Third place Fourth place Semi-finalist Total
 Saudi Arabia 2 (2019, 2025) 4 (2015, 2021*, 2023, 2024) 6
 Syria 2 (2007*, 2024) 2 (2005, 2009) 1 (2019) 3 (2021, 2022, 2025) 8
 Yemen 2 (2021, 2023) 1 (2026) 1 (2018) 4
 Iran 2 (2005*, 2009) 1 (2007) 3
 Iraq 2 (2013, 2015) 2 (2005, 2009) 2 (2007, 2019) 2 (2022, 2023) 8
 Lebanon 1 (2026) 2 (2022, 2025) 1 (2005) 4
 Jordan 1 (2022*) 1 (2019*) 3 (2007, 2013, 2018*) 1 (2009*) 3 (2024*, 2025*, 2026*) 9
 Japan 1 (2018) 1
 United Arab Emirates 1 (2013) 1 (2015) 3 (2021, 2023, 2026) 5
 India 1 (2018) 1
 Palestine 2 (2013*, 2015) 1 (2024) 3
* = hosts

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "رياضي / ايران / تنظيم بطولة اسيوية". Saudi Press Agency (in Arabic). 6 July 2005. Retrieved 5 October 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 "Iraq retain WAFF U-16 Championship title". Asian Football Confederation. 7 August 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2026.
  3. 1 2 "جدول مباريات بطولة غرب آسيا للناشئين تحت 17 سنة 2023". WinWin (in Arabic). 17 December 2023. Retrieved 5 October 2026.
  4. ↑ "Palestinians demand FIFA action after Israelis refuse entry for WAFF teams". Inside World Football. 16 August 2013. Retrieved 5 October 2026.
  5. ↑ "Israel backs down and issues entry permits for WAFF championship in Palestine". Inside World Football. 16 August 2013. Retrieved 5 October 2026.
  6. ↑ "Iraq lift WAFF U-16 title". Asian Football Confederation. 28 October 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2026.
  7. ↑ "U-16 Japan National Team earns victory over Yemen in their first match of the 5th WAFF U-16 Championship 2018". Japan Football Association. 1 August 2018. Retrieved 5 October 2026.
  8. ↑ "Yemenis celebrate their wining of West Asian U-17 Cup". Yemen Press Agency. 13 December 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2026.
  9. ↑ "Jordan lift WAFF U-16 Championship title". Asian Football Confederation. 1 July 2022. Retrieved 5 October 2026.
  10. ↑ "السعودية واليمن إلى نهائي بطولة غرب آسيا للناشئين". WinWin (in Arabic). 18 December 2023. Retrieved 5 October 2026.
  11. ↑ "11th WAFF U17 Boys Championship 2024". Saudi Arabian Football Federation. Retrieved 5 October 2026.
  12. ↑ "NT U-16 Faces Lebanon in WAFF U-17 Championship Final". Saudi Arabian Football Federation. 3 November 2025. Retrieved 5 October 2026.
  13. ↑ "Saudi U-16 Team Wins WAFF U-17 Championship Title". Saudi Press Agency. 5 November 2025. Retrieved 5 October 2026.
  14. ↑ "لبنان يكتب التاريخ... «فتيان الأرز» أبطال غرب آسيا للمرة الأولى". لبنان الكبير (in Arabic). 5 October 2026. Retrieved 5 October 2026.