2001 FIFA U20 World Cup: The Perfect Host Nation

 

The 2001 U20 World Cup was a masterclass in dominance from host nation Argentina, who swept the board both collectively and individually. Their star forward finished as the tournament’s top scorer and best player, while the team also claimed the Fair Play Award.

José Pékerman’s side were simply unstoppable, producing a dazzling brand of attacking football that saw them score 27 goals — more than any other team — and win every single match. With a goal difference of +23 and only four conceded, this Argentina squad is widely regarded as one of the greatest in U20 World Cup history.

Facts and Figures

The first U20 World Cup of the new millennium had its share of notable details:

* The tournament ran from 17 June to 8 July.

* Six host cities were chosen: Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Mendoza, Rosario, Mar del Plata and Salta.

* The Czech Republic qualified for the first time as an independent nation after splitting from Slovakia, having previously competed as Czechoslovakia in 1983 and 1989.

* Jamaica, Ecuador, Finland, Ukraine, Angola and Ethiopia all made their tournament debuts.

Europe’s Absence from the Final Four

For the first time in the tournament’s history, not a single European team reached the semi-finals. Despite strong representation from traditional powerhouses such as Germany, France, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic — alongside debutants Ukraine and Finland — all fell short of the final four.

The semi-finals were instead dominated by sides from South America and Africa, with two teams from each confederation making it through. Hosts Argentina met Ghana in the final after brushing past China, France and Paraguay in the knockout rounds. The Black Stars had beaten Ecuador and Brazil before overcoming Egypt in the semis.

The final itself was one-way traffic. The Albiceleste cruised to a 3–0 win over Michael Essien’s Ghana, with goals from Diego Colotto, Javier Saviola and Maxi Rodríguez sealing a fourth title for Argentina — a fitting redemption after their disappointing campaign in Nigeria two years earlier.

Tournament Highlights 

Group Stage final standings (The one in bold advanced to the knockout stage, the top two from each group, plus best third place)

Grup A	Grup B	Grup C
Argentina	Brasil	Ukraine
Egypt	Germany	USA
Finland	Iraq	China
Jamaica	Canada	Chile

 

Grup D	Grup E	Grup F
Angola	Costa Rica	Ghana
Czech Rep	Ecuador	France
Australia	Netherlands	Paraguay
Japan	Ethiopia	Iran

 

** = penalties

* = extra time

Round of 16:

-          Argentina vs China 2-1

-          France vs Germany 3-2

-          Costa Rica vs Czech Rep 1-2

-          Ukraine vs Paraguay 1-2

-          Angola vs Netherlands 0-2

-          USA vs Egypt 0-2

-          Ghana vs Ecuador 1-0

-          Brasil vs Australia 4-0

 

Quarterfinals:

-          Argentina vs France 3-1

-          Czech Rep vs Paraguay 0-1

-          Netherlands vs Egypt 1-2

-          Ghana vs Brasil 2-1*

 

Semifinals:

-          Argentina vs Paraguay 5-0

-          Egypt vs Ghana 0-2

 

3^rd place playoff: Egypt vs Paraguay 1-0

Final: Argentina vs Ghana 3-0

 Top scorer: Javier Saviola (Argentina) – 11 gol

MVP: Javier Saviola (Argentina)

 From Youth to Stardom

 The 2001 U20 World Cup in Argentina produced a remarkable generation of players who went on to dominate headlines throughout the 2000s and into the early 2010s. Among them were goalkeeper Petr Čech, who became a Chelsea legend; Dutch winger Arjen Robben, one of Europe’s most lethal wide men; Brazil’s Kaka, who would go on to win the 2008 Ballon d’Or; American star Landon Donovan; and Canada’s veteran midfielder Atiba Hutchinson, who helped his nation qualify for the 2022 World Cup.

 For the hosts, Argentina’s squad was stacked with talent beyond top scorer Javier Saviola —most notably Maxi Rodríguez, who would go on to shine on the biggest stages for both club and country.

 Here is the list of players from the 2001 U20 World Cup who went on to become key figures at the senior level:

Players	World Cup edition (senior)
Jose Luis Lopez (Costa Rica)	2006
Winston Parks (Costa Rica)	2002
Carlos Hernandez (Costa Rica)	2006
Jorge Guagua (Ecuador)	2006
Segundo Castillo (Ecuador)	2006
Felix Borja (Ecuador)	2006
Daniel Viteri (Ecuador)	2002
Marten Sketelenburg (Netherlands)	2006, 2010
Johny Heitinga (Netherlands)	2006, 2010
Klaas Jan Huntelaar (Netherlands)	2006, 2010, 2014
Rafael Van der Vaart (Netherlands)	2006, 2010
Arjen Robben (Netherlands)	2006, 2010, 2014
Johnny Herrera (Chile)	2014
Rodrigo Millar (Chile)	2010
Du Wei (China)	2002
Bo Qu (China)	2002
Oguchi Onyewu (USA)	2006, 2010
Landon Donovan (USA)	2002, 2006, 2010
Edson Buddle (USA)	2010
Damarcus Beasley (USA)	2002, 2006, 2010, 2014
Bobby Convey (USA)	2006
Brad Davis (USA)	2014
Conor Casey (USA)	2010
Lama (Angola)	2006
Mantorras (Angola)	2006
Antonio Mendoca (Angola)	2006
Joshua Kennedy (Australia)	2006
Luke Wilshere (Australia)	2006, 2010
Tomas Hubschman (CZE)	2006
Petr Cech (CZE)	2006
Yuichi Komano (JAP)	2006, 2010
Maicon (Brasil)	2010, 2014
Adriano Leite (Brasil)	2006
Kaka (Brasil)	2002, 2006, 2010
Julio Baptista (Brasil)	2010
Luisao (Brasil)	2010
Atiba Hutchison (Canada)	2022
Jermaine Jones (USA)	2014
Nicolas Burdisso (Argentina)	2006, 2010
Fabricio Collocini (Argentina)	2006
Javier Saviola (Argentina)	2006
Maxi Rodriguez (Argentina)	2006, 2010, 2014
Willy Caballero (Argentina)	2018
Djibril Cisse (France)	2002, 2010
Aliou Diarra (France)	2006, 2010
Sulley Muntari (Ghana)	2006, 2010
Michael Essien (Ghana)	2006, 2014
Emmanuel Pappoe (Ghana)	2006
Razak Pimpong (Ghana)	2006
Derek Boateng (Ghana)	2006, 2010
John Mensah (Ghana)	2006
John Paintsil (Ghana)	2006, 2010
Mehrzad Madanchi (Iran)	2006