Kochi: Three years after identifying a city stadium as a possible football World Cup venue, a high-level FIFA delegation yesterday cleared it to be considered for holding 2017 U-17 World Cup.

The venue cleared is the local Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium that stages One-Day International cricket and Indian Super League football matches. Kochi becomes the first Indian city to be officially declared as one of the venues to host the next year's U-17 World Cup.