The 1985 FIFA U-16 World Championship, the first edition of the tournament, was held in the cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, and Dalian in People's Republic of China from July 31, 1985, to August 11, 1985.

Players born after August 1, 1968, could participate in this tournament.

The 2017 U-17 World Cup surpassed this, with a record attendance of 1,347,133.

[1] For full squad lists for the 1985 U-16 World Championship see 1985 FIFA U-16 World Championship squads.

Marcel Witeczek of West Germany won the Golden Shoe award for scoring eight goals.