A FIFA spokesman said the world body is liasing closely with the Local Organising Committee.

With the pandemic stretching across the world, the Qualifiers for the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup have also been postponed along with numerous other sporting events.

After all, in every training session ahead of this year’s FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, these youngsters are being guided by one of their position’s all-time greats. They all know that, when Precious Dede speaks, each word reflects the lessons of a career spent amid the elite.

With only 258 days to go until the action gets underway, Ahmedabad, Bhubaneswar, Guwahati, Kolkata and Navi Mumbai have been confirmed as the five host cities for the tournament.

Sixteen teams featuring the rising stars of women’s football will compete across 32 matches to lift the coveted trophy in Navi, Mumbai on November 21.

With one year to go before the start of the tournament, fans from across India and around the world experienced the excitement and optimism as the Official Emblem for the tournament was revealed to the public.

Representatives from the Local Organising Committee, FIFA, and the Indian government spoke about how the power of football – and youth competitions in particular – can promote positive change in society, with a focus on accessibility and gender equality.

The event culminated in a spectacular outdoor light projection to reveal the Official Emblem, which was attended by a host of stars from India and the world of football.

The recent appointment of Dennerby as India’s U-17 women’s coach raised a few eyebrows, and underlined the ambitions of the nation hosting next year’s FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.

As a veteran of three FIFA Women’s World Cups with Nigeria and his native Sweden, the 60-year-old is one of the most experienced and respected coaches in the female game.

The event, which will be the second FIFA tournament that the country will host in three years, will see a marquee emblem launch ceremony on Saturday as the one-year countdown starts.

Ahead of the launch, the-AFC.com caught up with Tournament Director of the Local Organising Committee, Roma Khanna.

Two goals in four first-half minutes from Suzu Amano and Manaka Hayashi helped Japan overturn an early Hong Song-ok penalty and end DPR Korea’s four-match winning run in the tournament.

The win makes Japan the first nation to win the competition four times, as head coach Michihsia Kano’s charges followed on from previous successes at the U-17 level in 2005, and U-16 triumphs in 2011 and 2013.

While Japan claimed the title, both nations will represent Asia at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup India 2020.