New Delhi, April 13 : FIFA on Wednesday announced Bhubaneswar, Goa and Navi Mumbai as the host cities for the upcoming Under-17 Women’s World Cup 2022. The world football governing body also confirmed that the draw for the tournament, which is scheduled between October 11-30, will take place on June 24 in Zurich. Following the cancellation of the 2020 edition of the tournament due to Covid-19 pandemic, the FIFA, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) took the decision after undertaking a comprehensive review and consultation process. In order to ensure the safety of the players involved and the other participants in the tournament, Bhubaneswar’s Kalinga Stadium, Goa’s Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and Navi Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium have been named as the three venues that will welcome some of the brightest emerging talents and future stars of women’s football later this year. Apart from hosts India, six countries – Brazil, Chile, China PR, Colombia, Japan and New Zealand – have been confirmed for the competition so far and are sure to feature in the draw. With a total of 16 teams set to contest the tournament, spots are still up for grabs in several confederations. Sarai Bareman, FIFA Chief Women’s Football Officer, said: “Following the recent FIFA visit to India, this is an important step forward and marks the start of the final countdown towards the tournament.” FIFA and LOC have also announced that a total of 116 women have acquired their E Licence football coaching certificates through the youth tournament’s legacy initiative, the Coach Education Scholarship Programme, which they are leveraging to strengthen the grassroots of women’s football in India.