Corzek brings eyes to the future footballing stars at the U20 FIFA World Cup

The FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile has now wrapped up, taking place from the 27th of September to the 19th of October. Continuing the tournament's legacy of featuring the game's next generation of stars, this stage has hosted greats such as Paul Pogba, Sergio Agüero, Erling Haaland and Lionel Messi.

Athletes are artists

This tournament was another opportunity for Corzek to showcase athletes as artists and give these young players important exposure to help develop their careers. With many of the youth stars yet to cement their names in football history, this was a chance for them to display their skills, offering the perfect playground for Corzek to capture their talent.

The Commission

Corzek was commissioned to record 21 games, held across stadiums in Santiago and Valparaíso. From this, Corzek curated the tournament’s standout moments to create 10 in-game videos in the signature Corzek slow-motion style. Across these 10 videos, Corzek generated well over 150 million views, giving a platform to the names of the future.

The Future Stars at the U20 FIFA World Cup

The tournament prevents players over the age of 20 at the time of playing, however there is no lower age limit, allowing the tournament to showcase talent at an even younger age. One of the youngest standouts was 16-year-old Gilberto Mora from Mexico, who has already made 39 league appearances for Club Tijuana, and registered three goals and three assists across the tournament.

Other breakout names included Othmane Maamma, who won the Golden Ball award while spearheading Morocco’s run, and Alejo Sarco of Argentina, who recently joined Bayer Leverkusen. Japan’s captain Rion Ichihara stood out as one of the tournament’s rising ballers, helping his nation reach the last 16, and in a neat nod to footballing lineage, the sons of legends, Elyaz Zidane and Kristian Shevchenko also made appearances for their countries.

The tournament’s social media phenomenon was Yassir Zabiri, who entered with fewer than 7,000 followers and left with over 780,000, thanks to his on-field prowess, the team’s success, and the strong Moroccan community. Remarkably, twenty years after Lionel Messi won his first FIFA trophy in 2005 by scoring two goals in the final, Zabiri mirrored that achievement, netting twice to secure the title for Morocco. He became only the seventh player in history to reach such a milestone on the world stage.

Same kid, different playground

Reflecting on one of Corzek’s signature collections, ‘Same Kid, Different Playground’, this series is designed to showcase how professional talent can express the same youthful spirit, no matter how grand the stage becomes. This tournament perfectly embodies that balance. It exists at the crossroads between two defining phases of a player’s journey. On one hand, these athletes still carry the raw, unfiltered energy of their younger selves, often standing right on the edge of breaking into first-team football. On the other hand, they’re performing on one of the biggest stages in youth football, where their passion and potential are displayed to the world.

The future generation meets, the stars of the past

Chile became the focus of the football community as former and current stars showed their support for the U20 World Cup. Past tournament winner Davor Šuker brought out the trophy in the final, and ex-Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy attended numerous games throughout the tournament. Kendrick Lamar also watched from the stands while in the area for his South American tour. Both senior national team captains Lionel Messi and Achraf Hakimi showed support for their respective countries on social media the night before the final, reflecting the national pride and cultural importance of this tournament.

The Winner of the FIFA U20 World Cup

In the final, the Moroccan team managed to take the edge, despite Argentina being tournament favourites. The 2-0 victory made the final unmissable. Celebrations from the Moroccan team showed how much it meant to them and their nation. Corzek also captured such moments, as seen in the Instagram video below.

Corzek was honoured to be commissioned for this tournament by FIFA. The Corzek team was privileged to have been hosted by Chile, in stadiums which hold so much history thanks to the 1962 World Cup heritage.

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