World Cup fever is going strong all over the world. Costa Rica will host its own World Cup in March 2014 – the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup.

Sixteen international teams will gather in Costa Rica to compete for title of world champions in the prestigious tournament from March 15 to April 4; matches will be held in four stadiums in San Jose, Alajuela, Tibas and Liberia.

Football is one of Costa Rica’s biggest passions. The Costa Rica National Men’s Team is preparing for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The Costa Rica Women’s U-17 National Team, led by coach Juan Diego Quesada, has grouped new young talent to build a strong and competitive team. Helped by support from the Costa Rica Football Federation, the team has had good training facilities and more than 61 international and national practice matches over the past two years to get ready. France is the current world champion.

Costa Rica will lead off the event on March 15 playing Venezuela in the opening game at the National Stadium in San Jose at 8:00 p.m.

The Draw for the FIFA tournament is:
Group A: Costa Rica, Venezuela, Italy, Zambia
Group B: Ghana, Korea DPR, Germany, Canada
Group C: New Zealand, Paraguay, Spain, Japan
Group D: Mexico, Colombia, China PR, Nigeria

Juna, the colorful winged official mascot of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2014, has been making the rounds in Costa Rica promoting the event. “Juna” means “to fly” in the indigenous Cabecar language and is an appropriate title for the tournament mascot, a Blue Morpho butterfly.

The official slogan for Costa Rica 2014 is: “Costa Rica abre sus alas al mundo,” which means “Costa Rica opens its wings to the world” – representing the country’s hospitality to those participating in the competition. The World Cup’s official ambassadors are four famous personalities in Costa Rican culture – model Leonora Jimenez, singer Tamela Hedstrom, Saprissa midfielder Yeltsin Tejeda who is on the Costa Rica National Men’s Team, and international footballer Shirley Cruz who is the first female professional football player in Costa Rica and who plays for Paris Saint-Germain in France.

President Laura Chinchilla, at the draw of the 2014 FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup in December, spoke about the event’s role in inspiring female achievement and empowerment in Costa Rica: “Women, in football as well as in different aspects of modern life… we are no longer mere spectators. We are protagonists, or else we are fighting for the right to be. For this reason I celebrate these competitions in a country where we, as women, have torn down many walls.”

Travel info for Costa Rica
Book your travel for the exceptional Women’s U-17 World Cup event with Costa Rica Guides and Expediciones Tropicales. The Costa Rica travel agency with more than 18 years of experience helps you with hotel reservations, private transportation, rental cars, shuttle services, local flights, Costa Rica tours, and Costa Rica vacation packages.

Article by Shannon Farley
Shannon Farley writes English-language blogs and handles social media marketing for Enchanting Costa Rica and Profimercadeo in San Jose, Costa Rica.