Toronto will also host the tournament opener and the 3^rd Place match. Both the opening day and final day will be played as double-headers.

The final has been scheduled for July 22, 2007. Dates and times for the other matches will be finalised by FIFA at a later date.

"On behalf of the National Organizing Committee for the FIFA U-20 World Cup Canada 2007, I am pleased to confirm that the new National Soccer Stadium at Exhibition Place in Toronto will be the host site for the Championship final of this, the second largest FIFA Championship on Sunday July 22, 2007," said Canadian Soccer Association President Andy Sharpe.

"We were fortunate to have two wonderful presentations from both Toronto and from Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium and it proved to be a case of choosing what we felt was the better of two great options. We look forward to a sold out stadium on July 22 next year and throughout the event."

And when you look at the details surrounding the City of Toronto, it seems like the logical choice for hosting ‘The World’s Game’.

The City of Toronto is the largest city in Canada, the Capital of the Province of Ontario and the 5^th largest in North America with a population of 2.5 million. Over ¼ of Canada’s population lives within a 100-mile radius of Toronto.

"I am really proud," said Toronto’s Mayor, David Miller.

"Toronto is a tremendous soccer city with 250,000 registered players in the region, including my children. This is a fantastic opportunity to showcase our incredible city, to the world."

The city is a unique cultural mosaic with over 100 languages spoken and has a population represented by over 170 countries of origin, making it an ideal host for FIFA’s second largest event.

The top twenty language spoken in Toronto are: English, French, Italian, Chinese, Cantonese, Spanish, Portuguese, Tagalog (Pilipino), Tamil, Mandarin, Hindi, German, Greek, Urdu, Russian, Polish, Punjabi, Arabic, Persian (Farsi), and Vietnamese.

In addition to its renowned multicultural appeal, Toronto is the media and corporate capital of Canada with over 200 radio, television, newspaper and publishing companies and over 300 ethnic publications, including 5 non-English daily newspapers. Toronto is also the fourth largest media and corporate cluster in North America.

The FIFA U-20 World Cup Canada 2007 will take place in Montreal, Ottawa, Edmonton, Vancouver, Victoria, and Toronto with the tournament opener set for July 1, 2007.

In addition to the three match days, each venue will host Round of 16 matches.

Montreal and Vancouver will join Edmonton and Toronto as hosts of quarter final matches with Edmonton and Toronto also hosting the two semi finals.

Canada U-20 Men’s National Team Announces Brazil Games

The Canadian Soccer Association has finalized an agreement with the Confederaçao Brasileira de Futebol (Brazilian Football Confederation) that will see Brazil’s U-20 National Team travel to Canada for a series of games against Canada’s U-20 Men’s National Team in May 2006.

The first match of the series has been earmarked for Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium on May 19, 2006. The second will be played three days later on May 22 at Victoria’s Centennial Stadium on the campus of the University of Victoria.

Negotiations regarding a third match in Vancouver are close to being finalised and information regarding this date will be released when known.

Specific details regarding the kick-off times and tickets for this series will be announced shortly.

"Any time you have the opportunity to compete with the world’s top soccer nation it is an honour as well as a massive test," said Canadian Head Coach Dale Mitchell.

"We are delighted to get them here in Canada and give our boys a taste of what the summer of 2007 will be like. It will be a big challenge for us but one that I’m sure will help us down the road."

FIFA U-20 World Cup Canada 2007

In 2007, Canada will host the World’s finest youth players.

The biennial event is second only to the FIFA World Cup™ in size and scope and will showcase the most talented under-20 soccer players in the world. The tournament has been the coming-out party for some of the game’s top players - Maradona, Saviola, Raúl, Marco Van Basten, Luis Figo, Rui Costa, Thierry Henry, Adriano, Roberto Carlos, Bebeto and Dunga as well as Canada’s Craig Forrest and many members of the current Men’s World Cup Team including Julian de Guzman, Paul Stalteri, Atiba Hutchinson and Iain Hume.

Last held in CONCACAF in 1983 in Mexico, Canada’s most recent participation in this event occurred last June in the Netherlands from June 10 - July 2, 2005.

Canada enjoyed it’s its best ever finish in a World Championship in December 2003, losing to eventual silver medalist Spain on a golden goal in the quarter finals in the United Arab Emirates.

The Canadian Championship will take place in Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Edmonton, Vancouver, and Victoria with the tentative dates for the tournament set for July 1-22, 2007.

Broadcasting and PA Announcement – Please note that the official title of the Canadian Championship is ‘FIFA U-20 World Cup Canada 2007’. Any reference to the tournament should be made using this official FIFA title.

The Canadian Soccer Association • l’Association canadienne de soccer