Abu Dhabi: Ambassadors in the UAE have come together to support their teams at the Fifa U-17 World Cup, as the tournament reaches the quarter-final stage on Friday.

Three-time champions and one of the tournament favourites, Brazil, have been a pleasure to watch on the field the past few weeks according to Brazil’s ambassador Joao de Mendonça Lima Neto. “The Fifa U-17 World Cup has brought with it a thrilling experience to the Brazilian community in the UAE and I am sure the U-17 players are learning a lot from playing some of the world’s best players at this level. We are moving into a pivotal phase of the tournament and this is where fans’ true support will matter the most. Good luck to the team and we are looking forward to watching them play on Friday.”

Brazil’s opponents and reigning champions, Mexico, are counting on a spot in the semis and living up to their fans’ expectations in the UAE, according to their ambassador here, Francisco Alonso, who said: “The players have been doing a fantastic job and it’s been a pleasure watching them play since the tournament kicked off in the UAE. They’ve got all the key ingredients to win this tournament – confidence, technique, skill and huge fan support from the Mexican community here. This is a great learning experience for the team and all we can do at this stage is offer them all the support they need to make it through.”

Loyal fans, passionate supporters and an inspiring line-up of rising football stars on the team make Nigeria another Fifa U-17 World Cup favourite this year. Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets have netted 18 goals so far and are a force to be reckoned with in this tournament. Ebrahim Auwalu, Nigeria’s Ambassador in the UAE, has been faithfully following the team’s performance and said about the young guns making it to the quarter-finals: “I am delighted the team has been doing so well and even more so that the Nigerian community has filled up the stadiums at every match Nigeria play. I hope the strong fan support continues now that the team is so close to the final.”

Tournament tickets are available on a first come, first served basis at all host venues on match days, online at www.fifa.com/u17worldcup and at the official Fifa U-17 World Cup Fan Zone in Abu Dhabi.

Check out all the latest tournament news on Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/fifau17worldcup — and with #u17wc on Twitter.