Argentina to replace Indonesia as U-20 World Cup hosts after clash with Israel

Argentina will be the emergency host of next month’s men’s football U-20 World Cup, the country is set to announce today, following a last-minute bid to replace Indonesia, which withdrew as hosts last month due to a political dispute with Israel.

The announcement is scheduled for noon, following a weekend visit by FIFA authorities to inspect stadiums and infrastructure across Argentina.

The tournament will be played on its original dates between May 20 and June 11, with 24 countries vying for the top prize. Argentina, who failed to qualify for the finals, will now take Indonesia’s spot as the new host.

Football is central to Argentina’s identity. The country is the all-time winningest nation in the history of the U-20 World Cup, and last year won the men’s World Cup in Qatar. 

The sport is also popular in Indonesia, but the Muslim-majority nation of 270 million people has had its fair share of organizational problems. Last year, 135 people died and more than 300 others were injured in a stampede at Malang’s Kanjuruhan stadium.

Israel’s first-ever qualification for the tournament added to the problems, as Indonesia has no formal diplomatic relations with the Jewish-majority country, supporting the Palestinian cause instead. Protests calling for Israel to be banned from participating, coupled with the Bali governor’s refusal to host Israel on his territory, led to FIFA’s decision to suspend Indonesia as host.

Argentina is also organizing a joint bid with Uruguay, Paraguay, and Chile to host the men’s World Cup in 2030, but high infrastructure costs are seen as an obstacle for a country facing an economic crisis.

Hosting the U-20 World Cup, on the other hand, is not an expensive proposition for Argentina, as it is already home to dozens of high-capacity stadiums — though not all of them are state-of-the-art.

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