Relative age effect on the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup

In football, as in other sports, there are players who stand out and studies show that the effect of relative age is a factor in the success of these players. This effect helps players born in the first months of the year to develop advantages over others. The objective of the study was to verify the effect of relative age in the FIFA (R) Under-17 World Cup for men, played in 2019. A study was carried out with male individuals belonging to the 24 teams of the tournament that took place in October 2019. Players were separated by date of birth and divided into quarters (quartiles). The results showed that the relative age effect was present among the FIFA (R) U-17 World Cup athletes. When the comparison was made between the quartiles of birth in the different positions, it was observed that among the goalkeepers there was a difference only between Q1xQ3, between defenders and midfielders there was a difference between Q1XQ4, Q2XQ4, Q3X4, among the attackers there was a difference between Q1XQ3 And Q1XQ4. It was concluded that the effect of relative age occurred for the athletes who competed in the FIFA (R) World Cup for men's under-17 football.