Qatar **The road to New Zealand Qatar are making their return to the FIFA U-20 World Cup after a 20-year absence, courtesy of winning their maiden AFC Asian U-19 Championship crown in October 2014. Recording two wins and a draw to top Group D, the Qataris then overcame China PR in the last eight and saw off host nation Myanmar in extra time in the semis. After checking into the final for only the second time in their history, the Qataris defeated Korea DPR 1-0 to secure the continental title and with it a third U-20 world finals appearance after Australia 1981 and Qatar 1995. ** Strengths and style Qatar’s Spanish coach Felix Sanchez built his team for the Asian finals around a core of Europe-based players, among them striker Ahmed Al Saadi and midfielder Ahmad Moein, both of whom play their club football for Eupen in Belgium. While Al Saadi top-scored in the tournament with five goals, Moein made off with the Most Valuable Player award. Meanwhile, forward Akram Afif found the back of the net in every game in the knockout phase, including the final. ** The coach Sanchez stepped up from the Qatar U-17 job to take the reins of the national U-19 team from Dutchman Marcel van Buuren last year. After steering his side to the Asian finals with a 100 per cent record in qualifying, he then saw them go undefeated to win the title, an impressive run he will be aiming to extend at New Zealand 2015. ** FIFA U-20 World Cup record - This is Qatar’s third appearance at the FIFA U-20 World Cup. - The Qataris took part in the 1981 and 1995 tournaments, losing to Germany in the final on the first of those occasions and going out in the group phase on the second. ** What they said “I am pleased with this performance because the players have done really well from start to finish. I’ve enjoyed working with them in this competition and what we’ve achieved together is extraordinary,” Qatar’s Spanish coach Felix Sanchez. Colombia ** The road to New Zealand Despite failing to retain the trophy they lifted in 2013, Colombia blossomed as the South American U-20 Championship wore on and bowed out on a high by clinching the runners-up spot for the second time in their history. Los Cafeteros advanced from Group B in third place following wins over Chile and Venezuela and narrow losses to fellow FIFA U-20 World Cup New Zealand 2015 qualifiers Brazil and Uruguay. However, they stepped it up a notch in the final six-team round-robin phase, going unbeaten thanks to draws with Paraguay, Argentina and Uruguay and impressive victories over Peru and Brazil. ** Style and strengths Mirroring the philosophy of the senior team, Colombia's game plan is based on bossing possession and smart movement. This combination prevents the defence from being overworked and allows the side to conserve energy by not having to chase games, while also making it possible to get plenty of players into attacking positions. This was evident in Uruguay, where they peaked at the business end of the competition, had one of the best defensive records (conceding just five times in nine matches) and boasted six different scorers on the way to racking up 12 goals. ** The coach Carlos Restrepo has been there, done it and got the T-shirt with Colombia at U-20 level, having first helped his country reach the world finals in the age group way back in 1993 (though he left before the tournament in Australia). He repeated this feat in 2013, guiding his side to the round of 16 in Turkey after taking up the reins again the previous year. A calm and collected thinker, the 53-year-old has also enjoyed success at club level, picking up silverware in each decade of a career that has featured stints in his homeland, Costa Rica, Venezuela and Honduras. ** FIFA U-20 World Cup record New Zealand 2015 will mark Colombia's ninth appearance at the U-20 World Cup and their third in a row, having hosted the event in 2011 and qualified for the last edition in Turkey. Their best performance came at UAE 2003, where Reinaldo Rueda led them to a third-place finish. ** What they said "We gave a good account of ourselves and showed we're still a force to be reckoned with. We've made it to the World Cup again and now the onus is on us to keep working hard to continue our progress. We lacked a little bit of ruthlessness, otherwise we could have been in contention for the title. There's still more to come from this squad." Colombia coach Carlos Restrepo. Group C draw Qatar vs Colombia 1pm, May 31, Waikato Stadium, Hamilton Portugal vs Senegal 4pm, May 31, Waikato Stadium, Hamilton Qatar vs Portugal 4pm, June 3, Waikato Stadium, Hamilton Senegal vs Colombia 7pm, June 3, Waikato Stadium, Hamilton Senegal vs Qatar 1pm, June 6, Waikato Stadium, Hamilton Colombia vs Portugal 1pm, June 6, Otago Stadium, Dunedin