Seoul, Dec 6

South Korea was picked to host the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in 2017, the country's sports ministry said Friday.

The Asian country won the right to host the world's premier youth soccer tournament after a tight competition with Azerbaijan at a vote in Brazil overnight, Xinhua cited the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as saying.

The ministry said Seoul came to accomplish the soccer "grand slam" as it succeeded in hosting four major FIFA competitions, including the Confederations Cup in 2001 and the Under-17 World Cup in 2007 as well as the 2002 World Cup, which was jointly hosted with Japan.

Some six cities will be picked as the venues after consulting with FIFA, world football's governing body, the ministry added.

The Under-20 World Cup, first launched in 1977, has been held every two years. New Zealand will host the 2015 tournament.

By:IANS