Qatar will host the next five editions of the men’s FIFA Under-17 World Cup, global soccer’s governing body has unveiled.

Following a FIFA Council meeting earlier this week, it has also been decreed that from 2025, the national teams youth tournament will take place annually instead of biennially - meaning that Qatar will stage World Cups every year between 2025 and 2029.

FIFA has said that this increase in frequency, alongside an expansion of the tournament to 48 teams, exemplifies its “steadfast commitment to youth football."

The Women’s Under-17 World Cup, meanwhile, will also take place once a year from 2025 - that tournament will be held annually in Morocco until 2029, FIFA announced. It will also expand, in this case, to incorporate 24 sides.

FIFA has claimed that these hosting decisions follow a worldwide call for expressions of interest in hosting the competitions, which had a “focus on leveraging the use of existing footballing infrastructure in the interest of tournament efficiencies and sustainability.”

Qatar, most notably, hosted the men’s FIFA World Cup in late 2022, as well as the AFC Asian Cup continental tournament earlier this year.

For the World Cup, six entirely new stadiums were built, while another was extensively redeveloped.

Morocco, meanwhile, will co-host the men’s 2030 FIFA World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal.

Both countries have delegates sitting on the 37-member FIFA Council.

The most recent men’s Under-17 World Cup was hosted by Indonesia in 2023, while the 2024 edition of the women’s tournament will be put on by the Dominican Republic, from mid-October.

In terms of the hosting of future FIFA events, meanwhile, the host nation or nations for the 2027 Women’s World Cup will be voted on at the 2024 FIFA Congress in mid-May in Bangkok.