Guilherme Dalla Déa is the head coach of Brazil’s U-15 national teamCredits: Rafael Ribeiro /CBF
Brazil’s U-15 national team has arrived in Baku, Azerbaijan, for the FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival. Coached by Guilherme Dalla Déa, the team makes its debut on Saturday (24) against Guinea-Bissau at 9 a.m. local time (2 a.m. Brasília time) at the Hovsan Competition Complex. The competition runs until October 30 and will bring together national teams from 191 countries in an initiative combining football, development and international exchange.
Brazil is in Group D alongside Guinea-Bissau, El Salvador, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nepal and Tunisia. Each team will play five matches in the opening stage, with a packed schedule that will test the players’ adaptability and ability to recover.
The tournament’s inaugural edition will feature a different format from traditional football: matches will be played by teams of eight players, with two 20-minute halves and unlimited substitutions. The aim is to expand opportunities for international participation for players in this age group and expose them to different playing styles and football environments around the world.
“One positive aspect of this format is that it tends to favor more technically skilled players who make better decisions, rather than those who stand out mainly for their physical strength. One thing to watch may be the number of goals, because I think we’ll see a lot. But I don’t see that as a negative. The main challenge for every team will be adapting, understanding the dynamics of the competition and finding the best solutions within this format. I think that will be an important factor for every team throughout the tournament,” said head coach Guilherme Dalla Déa.
The team prepared at Granja ComaryCredits: Rafael Ribeiro /CBF
PREPARING FOR THE CHALLENGE
The team, led by head coach Guilherme Dalla Déa, began preparations at Granja Comary in Teresópolis, Rio de Janeiro state, last Wednesday (14). Over five days, the coaching staff adapted training to the competition’s characteristics, focusing on pitch dimensions, match duration and the particular demands of the eight-a-side format.
To replicate the conditions the players would face in Baku, the facilities at Granja Comary were adapted: a full-size pitch was converted into two mini-arenas with FIFA-specified dimensions. The change allowed the squad to train in an environment similar to the one they will encounter during the tournament. In total, seven training sessions were held in Brazil, with three more scheduled in Baku, including sessions at the venue for the opening match.
“We’ve seen the care the CBF has taken to provide the conditions we need to help the players adapt more quickly to the competition format. Over these days, we’ve been very precise in our player selection, and the response in training has been very positive. They adapted well to the characteristics of the game and understood the demands of the format, both defensively and offensively,” Dalla Déa emphasized.
In September, Brazil’s U-15 national team won the CONMEBOL Liga Evolución in Paraguay, a result that marked another milestone for the generation of players born in 2011. Now, the squad will have the opportunity to represent the country in a global competition, face opponents from different continents and broaden their international experience.
The delegation is already in Baku and is focusing on the final adjustments before its opening match against Guinea-Bissau this Saturday (24).
A REMINDER OF THE SQUAD
GOALKEEPERS
Arthur Lourenço (Internacional)
Daniel Arcon (Red Bull Bragantino)
DEFENDERS:
Pietro Gomes (Atlético-MG)
Valmir Ribeiro (Flamengo)
Guilherme Borges (Internacional)
Sandro Silva (Vitória)
MIDFIELDERS:
Diego Bento (Vasco)
Gabriel Leite (Palmeiras)
Brener Paulino (Internacional)
Gabriel Castor (Grêmio)
FORWARDS:
Pedro Henrique (Coritiba)
Kauã Souza (Flamengo)
Ariel Richard (Vasco)
Isaac Alves (Santos).
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.