England learn FIFA U17 World Cup draw

England will play Brazil, Iran and New Caledonia in the group stage of the 2023 FIFA U17 World Cup in Indonesia, following Friday's draw in Zurich.

The Young Lions were drawn out in Group C from their seeding in Pot 2 for the first stage of the competition which will see six groups of four teams battling it out for a place in the knockouts.

With the competition scheduled to take place between 10 November and 2 December, England will be represented by the 2023-24 men’s under-18s age group, led by head coach Ryan Garry.

They secured qualification as MU17 players last season as a result of their performance at the 2023 UEFA U17 EURO Finals when they beat Switzerland in a play-off to secure their place. The last time England competed in the FIFA U17 World Cup was in 2017, when they returned home as champions following a 5-2 victory over Spain in the final.

And there will be a first-ever meeting with New Caledonia at any level for England, after the nation based in the South Pacific qualified from the Oceania region to reach what will be their second U17 World Cup Finals appearance following their debut in 2017.

Brazil have been familiar opponents over the years, with the nations meeting three times at the U17 World Cup in the past. In 2007, goals from Henri Lansbury and Jordan Spence sealed a 2-1 win in the group stages at the competition in Korea Republic, before Brazil ran out 1-0 winners at the 2015 edition in Chile.

England then beat the South Americans by 3-1 in the quarter-final of the 2017 World Cup, thanks to a hat-trick from Rhian Brewster as Steve Cooper's team went on to win the title.

The Young Lions will also follow on from the men's senior team in 2022 when they take on Iran, and will no doubt be looking to replicate what Gareth Southgate's team did at the senior World Cup in Qatar when they secured a 6-2 victory.

England's fixtures:

England v New Caledonia, 9am GMT Saturday 11 November, Jakarta International Stadium
England v Iran, 12pm GMT Tuesday 14 November, Jakarta International Stadium
England v Brazil, 9am GMT Friday 17 November, Jakarta International Stadium 

The full draw is as follows:

Group A: Indonesia, Ecuador, Panama, Morocco
Group B: Spain, Canada, Mali, Uzbekistan
Group C: Brazil, Iran, New Caledonia, England, 
Group D: Japan, Poland, Argentina, Senegal
Group E: France, Burkino Faso, Korea Republic, USA
Group F: Mexico, Germany, Venezuela, New Zealand