FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival kicks off in Baku

Photo: FIFA

BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 24. The FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival kicks off today in Baku.

Azerbaijan will host this World Cup for the first time in history. Approximately 1,000 matches are scheduled to take place as part of the World Cup, which will feature 189 countries. The tournament’s opening and closing ceremonies, as well as the first and final matches, will take place at the Crystal Hall sports and concert complex.

Azerbaijan will be represented at the World Championship by its U-16 national team, led by Famil Khalilov. The team will compete in Group AF alongside the national teams of Andorra, Australia, Haiti, Israel, and East Timor (Timor-Leste). Azerbaijan's national team will play its first match of the tournament today at 7:30 p.m. against East Timor.

The official opening ceremony of the World Championship will take place today at 7:00 p.m. in the “Crystal Hall.”

This new FIFA tournament will bring together young soccer talents from around the world and provide all member associations with the opportunity to compete at the international level. Starting in 2028, the tournament is scheduled to be held annually for both boys and girls.

The competition will feature an innovative 8-on-8 format, with each half lasting 20 minutes.

More than 3,000 young soccer players, coaches, and officials are expected to participate in the tournament. The teams will first compete in the group stage, after which they will be divided into six performance tiers based on their results for the second stage of the tournament. All teams will continue to compete until the final day of play, and the winner of Level A will be crowned champion of the FIFA U-15 World Championship and Festival.

One of the main goals of the tournament is to provide FIFA member countries with the experience of participating in international competitions and to create conditions for the development of young soccer players. Approximately 250 volunteers are expected to be involved in organizing the competition. Given that Azerbaijan, together with Uzbekistan, will co-host the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2027, hosting the U-15 tournament in the country also helps ensure continuity in the organization of international soccer competitions.