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2001 FIFA U20 World Cup: The Perfect Host Nation

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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

 

3rd 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

 


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