The last 16 of the U-20 World Cup are confirmed: two Asian teams advance, Japan undefeated, Brazil finishes last, Round of 16 matchups as follows

On October 6th Beijing time, the group stage of the 2025 Chile U-20 World Cup has concluded. After three intense rounds, the final 16 teams are decided: six from the Americas, five from Europe, three from Africa, and among four Asian participants, only Japan and South Korea advanced. Japan was especially impressive with three straight wins, while the biggest surprise was the traditional powerhouse Brazil finishing last and being eliminated!

Four Asian teams participated, with Japan showing great strength by dominating their group, defeating all three opponents with a perfect record of three wins, scoring seven goals and conceding none, demonstrating excellent offense and defense. South Korea qualified as one of the best four third-placed teams with one win, one draw, and one loss. Australia earned three points with one win and two losses but was eliminated as the third-placed team with only three points. Saudi Arabia performed the worst, failing to win any match, drawing once and losing twice, finishing last and knocked out!

The biggest upset was Brazil’s elimination. Brazil was drawn into a tough "group of death" with World Cup semi-finalist Morocco, European powerhouse Spain, and strong American side Mexico. Brazil performed poorly in the group stage, achieving only one win and two losses, losing to Morocco and Spain, and gaining just one point against Mexico, finishing last and eliminated. It’s clear that Brazil has declined; once five-time U-20 World Cup champions, they now fail to reach the knockout stage, which is truly disappointing!

The most thrilling qualification story belongs to the host nation Chile. In the final group match, Chile lost 1-2 to African powerhouse Egypt in a last-minute defeat. Both teams ended with identical points, head-to-head results, and goal difference, but Chile was lucky to advance as the second-placed team due to having fewer yellow cards than Egypt. Egypt’s elimination was heartbreaking!

The Round of 16 matchups are as follows: host Chile vs Mexico, Argentina vs Nigeria, Ukraine vs Spain, Colombia vs South Africa, Japan vs France, Paraguay vs Norway, Morocco vs South Korea, and the USA vs Italy. Looking forward to the quarterfinalists—let’s wait and see!

Written by / Sports Stories

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