A football-loving hummingbird called Kinti will be the official mascot for the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia.
Kinti made her entrance at an event held at the iconic Orquideorama at Medellín’s Botanical Garden, unveiled as a key ambassador for the 24-nation tournament, which includes New Zealand.
The tournament will be staged in the Colombian cities of Bogotá, Cali and Medellin from August 31 — September 22, 2024.
The tournament draw takes place on at 3am on Thursday June 6 (NZT).
Kinti takes her name from the Quechuan word for a hummingbird, “quinti”.
Colombia is home to more than 1,900 bird species, including 150 types of hummingbirds. Aside from being breathtaking to look at, hummingbirds play an important role in helping to preserve the nation’s ecosystem.
The FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup 2024 will be the third FIFA tournament staged by Colombia after the South American country hosted the equivalent men’s event in 2011 and the FIFA Futsal World Cup in 2016.
Ramón Jesurún, the president of the Colombian Football Association, said preparations in the host nation and host cities were advancing well, with Kinti’s unveiling the latest milestone in building awareness and excitement across Colombia.
The nations who have qualified
Nations to confirm their qualification for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup:
- New Zealand and Fiji, through reaching the final of the OFC U-16 women’s championship in Fiji.
- Colombia (hosts).
- Canada, Costa Rica, Mexico and United States, who qualified through the CONCACAF U-20 Women’s Championship.
- Austria, France, Germany, Netherlands and Spain, who qualified through the UEFA U-19 Women’s Championship.
- Cameroon, Ghana, Morocco and Nigeria, who qualified through the 2024 African U-20s World Cup qualifiers, in January 2024.
- Australia, Japan, North Korea and South Korea, who qualified through the AFC U-20 Women’s Asian Cup in March 2024.
- Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Venezuela, who filled the top four places at the U-20 Women’s South American Championship in May 2024.
The 24 participating teams will be divided into six groups of four. The top two teams in each group qualify for the round of 16, along with the four best third-placed teams. There will then be quarter-finals, semi-finals, a match for third place and the final.
Past winners
2002: USA
2004: Germany
2006: DPR Korea
2008: USA
2010: Germany
2012: USA
2014: Germany
2016: DPR Korea
2018: Japan
2022: Spain
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