FIFA U-17 World Cup: 5 worst performances by host nations in the history of the U-17 World Cup

Del Piero could not lead Italy past the first round in the 1991 U-17 World Cup
Del Piero could not lead Italy past the first round in the 1991 U-17 World Cup

#1 United Arab Emirates- 2013

The United Arab Emirates had a forgettable showing at the 2013 U-17 World Cup
The United Arab Emirates had a forgettable showing at the 2013 U-17 World Cup

And the top spot in this list is taken by United Arab Emirates who hosted the U-17 World Cup in 2013. The Arab nation were in a group that comprised of three-time champions Brazil, Honduras, and debutants Slovakia.

A last minute winner by Brayan Velasquez denied UAE a point in their opening game against Honduras which ended 2-1. The Gulf nation was thrashed by Brazil 6-1 in their second game which more or less confirmed their elimination. To stand a chance of qualifying for the round of 16 as one of the best four third-place teams, UAE needed to win their final group game against Slovakia by an astronomical margin and needed Brazil to beat Honduras.

Brazil did beat Honduras but the hosts were beaten 2-0 by Slovakia thanks to a brace from Tomas Vestenicky and were eliminated. With a goal difference of -8, UAE hold the record of the worst performance by any host nation at the FIFA U-17 World Cup.

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