2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup
The 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup was the 18th FIFA U-20 World Cup. Colombia hosted the tournament between 29 July and 20 August 2011, with matches being played in eight cities. The tournament was won by Brazil who claimed their fifth title.
| Copa Mundial Sub-20 de la FIFA Colombia 2011 | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | Colombia |
| Dates | 29 July – 20 August |
| Teams | 24 (from 6 confederations) |
| Venue(s) | 8 (in 8 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Brazil (5th title) |
| Runners-up | Portugal |
| Third place | Mexico |
| Fourth place | France |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 52 |
| Goals scored | 132 (2.54 per match) |
| Attendance | 1,309,929 (25,191 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Henrique Alexandre Lacazette Álvaro Vázquez (5 goals each) |
| Best player(s) | Henrique |
| Best goalkeeper | Mika |
| Fair play award | Nigeria |
At a FIFA Executive Committee meeting held in Sydney on 26 May 2008, Colombia beat the only other candidate country, Venezuela, for the right to organize the U-20 World Cup. It was suggested by the then-Vice President of Colombia Francisco Santos Calderón that it was needed to withdraw from the race with Brazil to host the 2014 FIFA World Cup so the nation could concentrate on hosting the "best possible games".
In an inspection tour of development works in March 2010, Jack Warner, then the vice president of FIFA, said that the completion of this tournament could provide Colombia with a launch pad to become a possible host for the 2026 World Cup. The official song of the tournament was "Nuestra Fiesta" by Colombian singer Jorge Celedón.