5 reasons why India can progress beyond the group stage of FIFA U17 World Cup 2017

#2 Preparation

Right after India won the bid to host the tournament in December 2013, a plan was jotted down which involved a group of teenagers crisscrossing the globe in search of worthy opponents.

By the time the Indian team reached Delhi earlier this week, they had travelled 18 countries spanning four continents, racking up more than 200,000 air miles and played over 100 matches. More than Rs 15 crore has been spent by the government and the AIFF on their preparation, and this is just a fraction of the total investment.

In contrary, the other countries did not even have established U17 teams until the very last moment. The Columbian players, in fact, have spent less than a month together as they are more attached to their respective clubs.

All this may not necessarily guarantee a winning performance, but certainly, this bunch of millennials are more accustomed to playing together than the other teams.