Festive mood in Kolkata to continue post Durga Puja 2017 as Salt Lake Stadium set to host 10 FIFA U17 World Cup matches

Mark your calendars. If you are a true Kolkatan, you know what this means! Right after Durga Puja 2017, get ready to feast on the best of football. Yes, it's all happening. Perfect year if you are a Bengali, we bet!

The City of Joy is defined by its food and football, and we get all of them in the span of a month, come September-October. Six days of Durga Puja — from Panchami to Dashami — see the city at its best with pomp and euphoria of the highest level. From music to food to get-togethers to reunions, you have it all.

However, every year, post dashami, the heartbreaks for every Bengali are as harsh as it can get. But not this time. We have the biggest event in the history of football in India happening this year — the FIFA U-17 World Cup — and thanks to the organisers of the tournament and the dedicated and passionate staff in charge of renovating the iconic Salt Lake Stadium in the city, Kolkata has bagged a total of 10 matches in the tournament.

And that includes the final too!

Four other cities — Delhi, Navi Mumbai, Goa, Guwahati and Kochi besides Kolkata are hosting the FIFA tournament for the football superstars of tomorrow and Kolkata, predictably, has got the most number of matches.

While several participants are set to be announced in the next couple of months, here are some of the teams who have qualified for the U-17 World Cup 2017. Hosts India have been placed in Group A.

Teams qualified so far: Iran, Iraq, Japan, North Korea, Brazil, Paraguay, Chile, Colombia, New Caledonia, New Zealand. A total of 24 teams are taking part in the tournament.

Matches at the Salt Lake stadium:

Durga Puja 2017 dates

Panchami: September 25

Sashti: September 26

Saptami: September 27

Ashtami: September 28

Navami: September 29

Dashami: September 30