Every day at www.u19championship.com - the official website of the 2012 IFAF Under-19 World Championship - find news, phots, game recaps, results and all the latest comments from Austin, Texas, where the national teams of American Samoa, Austria, Canada, France, Japan, Panama, Sweden and the United States compete for the world crown.

Beaten finalist in 2009, Canada will arrive under new head coach NOEL THORPE, who is the defensive coordinator at the University of Montreal.  In 2009 Canada opened the inaugural IFAF U-19 World Championship by putting 55 points past New Zealand without reply in the opening game.  They won a thrilling clash with Japan 38-35 in the dying minutes to set up a Gold Medal meeting with the United States, which they lost 41-3.

Japan will again bring their brand of fast and efficiently executed football to Austin under TAKAO YAMAZAKI of Osaka Sangyo University Junior & Senior High School.  He was named Coach of the Tournament in 2009 as Japan lost a heartbreaker 38-35 to Canada having seen off the challenge of Germany 10-7.  They enjoyed the consolation of securing the Bronze Medal with a 42-27 win over Mexico in the Third Place game.

Three countries new to the IFAF Under-19 World Championship platform are Austria, American Samoa and Panama, while Sweden and France return having placed sixth and seventh respectively in 2009.

Austria and head coach HORST OBERMAYER won the 2011 European Junior Championship with a 21-14 victory over France to claim the Gold Medal and also secure a trip to Austin as Europe's top-ranked nation.  

American Samoa traveled to Australia in February and came home having qualified as Oceania's sole representative as head coach POOCH TAASE's team won 93-7 in monsoon conditions in the Oceania Bowl.  

Panama makes its debut at this level as the tournament's third Pan-American representative, having missed out on qualifying in 2009 when they beat the Bahamas but lost to Mexico.

In 2009, France under head coach OLIVIER MORET faced a daunting first game against the United States and was beaten 78-0 then lost 24-14 to European rival Sweden.  Playing for seventh place overall, the French enjoyed a 34-6 victory over New Zealand.  In 2011, after beating Serbia 35-0 for the right to play for at the European Championship in Spain, France then beat Sweden 21-14 and brushed aside the host Spain 55-6 to reach the final, losing 24-14 to Austria.

Sweden qualified by claiming third place at the 2011 European Junior Championship under head coach MATS HAGSTEN with surprise victory over Germany.  Three years ago the Swedes qualified as Europe's silver medalist and arrived at the inaugural Under 19 event with high hopes, only to suffer a 41-0 defeat to Mexico.  Sweden regrouped and beat France 24-14, but then missed out on fifth place as they lost 14-0 to rival Germany.

Two newcomers will kick off the tournament at 9am on Saturday, June 30 when Panama takes on Austria, followed by the 2009 bronze medalist Japan against France at 11.30am.  Canada, beaten finalist three years ago, faces Sweden at 5pm before the United States and American Samoa do battle at 8pm.

The results will decide the schedule of games for July 3 and 4.  Winners of the games played on the Fourth of July will play for the Gold Medal three days later at 8pm on Saturday, July 7.

Multi-game ticket options are now available at www.U19championship.com.

2012 IFAF Under-19 World Championship Schedule

Saturday, June 30 (all games at Burger Stadium)

Tuesday, July 3

Wednesday, July 4

Friday, July 6

Saturday, July 7