The FIFA under-20 World Cup is set to begin in Poland ©FIFA

Poland are set to host a FIFA event for the first time with the Under-20 World Cup beginning tomorrow.

The Polish Football Association will be stagig the competition in their centenary year, with their president Zbigniew Boniek stating that the nation is prepared for the start of the tournament.

Boniek made 80 international appearances during his own career, with the former Juventus and Roma player finding the net on 24 occasions for his nation.

He expressed his view the upcoming tournament could see the emergence of potential stars of the future.

"I think world football has produced so many excellent players in recent years that we don’t need another Boniek, we can leave him out," he told FIFA.com

"Having said that, we could see a player emerge in the same mould as Messi, Ronaldo, Lewandowski or Kane.

"I firmly believe that’ll happen at this tournament."

For the sixth successive edition of the Under-20 FIFA World Cup, the holders have not qualified for the tournament with England missing out in a European playoff.

Players at the tournament will hope to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Paul Pogba and Samuel Umtiti, winners at the 2013 event, five years before winning the FIFA World Cup in Russia.

France's Paul Pogba won the 2013 event before winning the FIFA World Cup five years later ©Getty Images
France's Paul Pogba won the 2013 event before winning the FIFA World Cup five years later ©Getty Images

Sergej Milinković-Savić from 2015 winners Serbia is another player to have bolstered their reputation since competing at the event, while several members of England’s 2017 squad have begun to make their mark in the Premier League.

Hosts Poland are due to meet Colombia in the opening match of the tournament at the Stadion Widzewa in Łódź, with the teams featuring in Group A alongside Tahiti and Senegal.

Mexico, Italy, Japan and Ecuador will contest Group B, while Honduras, New Zealand, Uruguay and Norway feature in Group C.

Qatar will hope to see emerging talent as they prepare to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, with the nation set to face Nigeria, Ukraine and the United States in Group D.

Panama, Mali, France and Saudi Arabia meet in Group E, with record six-time winners Argentina, Portugal, South Korea and South Africa in Group F.

The two top teams in each group will advance to the knock-out stage, along with the four best third placed teams.

Group matches will run until May 31, with the knock-out stage due to take place from June 2 to the final on June 15.

Along with Łódź, Bielsko-Biała, Bydgoszcz, Gdynia, Lublin and Tychy will also be staging matches during the tournament.