At the deadline date of 17 January 2011, three member associations confirmed they would be bidding for the event.[3] Neither Turkey nor Uzbekistan had ever been hosts to a FIFA competition, while the United Arab Emirates were hosts of the U-20s in 2003.
To mark the one year countdown date to the competition, FIFA, as well as members of the Turkish FA, announced that the emblem would be presented to the media on 25 June 2012 at Ciragan Palace Mabeyn Hall in Istanbul.[5] Details of the ticketing access were made publicly available on 30 November 2012.[6][7]
Host city logos for each participating stadium were shown to the general public on 20 March 2013, with each taking inspiration from their surroundings.[8] The official logo included an Evil Eye protector, worn or hung inside Turkish homes to bring luck.[9]
Mascot
The mascot for the tournament was called Kanki, a blue-eyed Kangal puppy.[10]
Theme song
The official theme song for the tournament was Yıldızlar Buradan Yükseliyor, which is translated as Building Bridges for Rising Stars, performed by Turkish rock band Gece.[11][12]
Draw
The final draw was held at the Grand Tarabya Hotel in Istanbul on 25 March 2013, at 19:00 local time.[13]
On 12 February 2013, FIFA announced the procedure of the draw. The 24 teams were divided into four differing pots:[14]
Pot 1: Hosts and continental champions of five confederations (except OFC)
Pot 2: Remaining teams from AFC and CAF
Pot 3: Remaining teams from CONCACAF and CONMEBOL
Pot 4: Remaining teams from OFC and UEFA
Prior to the draw, Turkey was assigned to position C1, and Spain was assigned to Group A. As a basic principle, teams from the same confederation could not be drawn against each other at the group stage, except in Group A where there were two teams from UEFA.
As the CAF U-20 Championship was not completed at the time of the draw, a separate draw took place at the tournament's conclusion on 30 March in Oran, Algeria to determine the groups where the second, third and fourth-placed CAF teams would play in.[15][16]
See the main article: 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup squads
Teams had to name a 21-man squad (three of whom had to be goalkeepers) by the FIFA deadline. The squads were announced by FIFA on 14 June 2013.[19][20]
Group stage
The winners and runners-up from each group, as well as the best four third-placed teams, qualified for the first round of the knockout stage (round of 16).[21]
The ranking of each team in each group was determined as follows:
points obtained in all group matches;
goal difference in all group matches;
number of goals scored in all group matches;
If two or more teams were equal on the basis of the above three criteria, their rankings were determined as follows:
points obtained in the group matches between the teams concerned;
goal difference in the group matches between the teams concerned;
number of goals scored in the group matches between the teams concerned;
Note: drawing of lots was used to determine the final positions of Greece and Paraguay, as the two teams finished level on points, goal difference, goals scored, and head-to-head record.
In the knockout stages, if a match was level at the end of normal playing time, extra time was played (two periods of fifteen minutes each) and followed, if necessary, by a penalty shoot-out to determine the winner, except for the play-off for third place, where no extra time would be played as the match was played directly before the final.[21]
The winners were the first team to receive an updated version of the trophy,[24] with Rebecca Cusack and Thomas R. Fattorini of Thomas Fattorini Ltd, Birmingham taking over from Sawaya & Moroni [25] as suppliers of FIFA competitions.
Vanishing spray
A “vanishing spray” made its FIFA debut (versions were already in use in CONCACAF and CONMEBOL competitions) during this tournament, with referees using it to denote the ten-yard mark for an opposing defence at time of free kicks.[26]
Media coverage
Latin America
(All Latin America): ESPN and Fox Sports (broadcast 40 matches live)
South America and Caribbean: DirecTV Sports
Mexico and Central America: Sky Sports Latin America
France (1st title)
Uruguay
Ghana
Iraq
Spain
