FIFA had explored bringing private investors into the project and turning the U-15 tournament into a major global sporting event. The proposed format was different from the senior World Cup. Matches would be shorter and played on smaller pitches.

Imagine a football tournament where every FIFA member gets a place. No qualifiers. No early exits. No country left out.

That was the idea behind a proposed FIFA Under-15 'World Cup' that could have brought together all 211 FIFA member nations in a youth football festival inspired by baseball's famous Little League World Series, as per reports from the .

But there was another big idea behind the tournament - money.

The Plan: 211 Teams, One Giant Youth Festival