UNITED NATIONS, June 23 (Xinhua) -- While the World Cup is drawing world attention in Russia, qualified youth teams launched a mini-tournament in New York on Saturday.

School girls and boys, in the national jerseys of Belgium, France, Germany, Morocco, Peru, Russia, Senegal and South Korea, competed in the three-hour tournament on the rooftop playground of UN International School in Manhattan.

South Korea, Russia, Morocco and Germany ranked the top four of the mini-World Cup.

Isabelle Picco, ambassador of Monaco to the United Nations, said the mini-tournament is designed to promote the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of the United Nations amid the World Cup in Russia.

"We are trying to bring the spirit of the World Cup in Russia to New York," said Dmitry Polyanskiy, first deputy permanent representative of Russia to the United Nations.

The Football World Cup for Youth was sponsored by the missions to the United Nations from Russia, Monaco, France, Germany, Morocco, Senegal in partnership with UNICEF, UN-Women, SDG-Fund, New York City Mayor's Office and New York City Football Club.?