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1993 FIFA U-20 World Cup: Back in Australia

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The 1993 FIFA U-20 World Cup marked the tournament’s return to Australia, which had first staged the competition in 1981.

 Australia became the first nation to host the U-20 World Cup more than once. Initially, Yugoslavia had been chosen as the host, but with the Balkan conflict raging, FIFA moved the tournament to then Oceania giant.

Key Facts – 1993 Tournament

* Staged from 5 to 20 March with 16 teams divided into four groups.

* A total of 32 matches were played across the tournament.

* Host cities included Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra.

* It was the first major international youth competition featuring a unified Germany and Russia following seismic political changes.

* Argentina’s U-20 side was serving a two-year suspension from FIFA tournaments after players reacted violently to a 3-0 defeat against Portugal at the 1991 finals, verbally abusing officials and showing indiscipline on the pitch.

* Europe’s six representatives came via the 1992 UEFA U-18 Championship: winners Turkey, runners-up Portugal, semi-finalists Norway and England, plus play-off winners Germany and Russia.

Joy for Hosts and Selecao

 The 1993 edition delivered success for both the hosts and Brazil. Australia once again reached the semi-finals, matching their achievement of 1991. Despite finishing runners-up in their group, Craig Moore and his teammates eliminated Uruguay 2-1 in the quarter-finals before falling to the young Selecao in the last four and later losing to England in the third-place play-off.

Brazil, meanwhile, ended an eight-year wait for the title, making amends for their heartbreak in the 1991 final. Under coach Júlio César Leal, the Seleção were unbeaten throughout the tournament. Marcelinho Paulista and company swept aside the United States and Australia in the knockout rounds, before overcoming Ghana—the surprise package who had knocked out England in the semis—2-1 in the final to claim their third U-20 world crown.

Tournament Highlights

 Group Stage final standings (The one in bold advanced to the knockout stage)

Grup A

Grup B

Grup C

Grup D

Russia

Uruguay

England

Brasil

Australia

Ghana

USA

Mexico

Cameroon

Germany

South Korea

Saudi Arabia

Colombia

Portugal

Turkiye

Norway

** = penalties

* = extra time

 

Quarterfinal:

-          Rusia vs Ghana 0-3

-          Uruguay vs Australia 1-2*

-          England vs Mexico 0-0 (4-3)**

-          Brasil vs USA 3-0

 

Semifinal:

-          Ghana vs England  2-1

-          Australia vs Brasil 0-2

 

3rd place Playoff: England vs Australia 2-1

Final: Brasil vs Ghana 2-1

 

Top scorer: Henry Zambrano (Colombia)  – 3 gol

MVP: Adriano Gerlin (Brasil)  

 

From Youth to Stardom

 The 1993 U-20 World Cup in Australia produced a generation of players who would go on to become key figures for their clubs and national teams from the late 1990s through the mid-2000s. Among them were former Germany midfielder Dietmar Hamann, who played for Liverpool and Manchester City, ex-Manchester United midfielder Nicky Butt, Bayern Munich’s defensive mainstay Samuel Kuffour, and AC Milan’s long-serving goalkeeper Dida.

Two other alumni later made their mark not only as internationals but also as national team coaches at the 2022 World Cup: Gregg Berhalter, who managed the United States, and Rigobert Song, who led Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions.

Here is the list of players from the 1993 U-20 World Cup who went on to shine at senior level:

Players

World Cup edition (senior)

Craig Moore (Australia)

2006, 2010

Pius N’Diefi (Cameroon)

2002

Patrick Suffo (Cameroon)

2002

David Embe (Cameroon)

1994

Marc Vivien Foe (Cameroon)

1994, 2002

Rigobert Song (Cameroon)

1994, 1998, 2002, 2010

Vladimir Beschastnykh (Russia)

1994, 2002

Nicky Butt (England)

2002

Choi Yong Soo (South Korea)

1998, 2002

Choi Sung Yong (South Korea)

1998

Emre Asik (Turkiye)

2002

Gregg Berhalter (USA)

2002

Carsten Ramelow (Germany)

2002

Dietmar Hamann (Germany)

1998, 2002

Carsten Jancker (Germany)

2002

Samuel Kouffour (Ghana)

2006

Dida (Brasil)

2002, 2006

Oswaldo Sanchez (Mexico)

1998, 2002, 2006

Duilio Davino (Mexico)

1998

Joel Sanchez (Mexico)

1998

Jose Garcia (Mexico)

2002. 2006

Thomas Myhre (Norway)

1998

Khamis Owairan (KSA)

1998, 2002

Mohammed Al Jahani (KSA)

1998, 2002

Obeid Al Dossary (KSA)

1998, 2002

Hussein Al Sadiq (KSA)

1994, 1998

Fahad Al Ghesheyan (KSA)

1994

 

 

 


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