Overview:
BOMA the desert owl has swooped in as the official Mascot of the FIFA Under-17 World Cup Qatar 2025 before the tournament kicks off on Monday.
BOMA the desert owl has swooped in as the official mascot of the FIFA Under-17 men’s World Cup Qatar 2025 before the tournament kicks off on Monday.
The mascot represents the role of the soccer scout.
The competition will be the first 48-team FIFA tourney.
The mascot’s name means owl in Arabic and pays a tribute to legendary Serbian former player and tactician Velibor “Bora” Milutinovic, who led five different national teams into five consecutive editions of the World Cup between 1986 and 2002, before making a big contribution to the development of Qatari soccer as a coach and scout. Bora also coached the Mexico, Costa Rica, U.S., China and Nigeria national teams at the World Cup.
Qatar’s ascension can be credited in part to Milutinovic, who has been a consultant, mentor and supporter of the country’s game since moving to the Persian Gulf nation in 2009.
He played his part in the country’s successful bid to host the 2022 World Cup and has served as an advisor and ambassador for Aspire Academy, which that helped produce back-to-back AFC Asian Cup champions. The side recently qualified for the 2026 World Cup 26 in North America.
Previous editions of the U-17 tournament competition have provided a platform for many greats, including Gianluigi Buffon, Luís Figo, Xavi Hernández, Eden Hazard, Andrés Iniesta, Neymar, Ronaldinho, Son Heung-min, Francesco Totti, and Landon Donovan.