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

Pakistan to face Gambia as 189 nations feature in inaugural tournament

The inaugural FIFA Under-15 World Cup and Festival kicks off in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Saturday (today), bringing together teams representing 189 member associations for a week-long international youth football competition.

Pakistan will also face Gambia on the opening day as the tournament provides young players from around the world with opportunities to compete internationally and gain experience against teams from different footballing backgrounds.

The tournament runs until October 30, with more than 3,000 players, coaches and officials expected to take part, according to FIFA. Matches will be staged primarily at the purpose-built Hovsan Competition Complex, while the finals will be held at Baku's Crystal Hall.

The competition will use an eight-a-side format, with matches consisting of two 20-minute halves. Players born in 2011 or 2012 are eligible to participate.

Nearly 1,000 matches are scheduled across the tournament, with up to 20 fixtures taking place simultaneously on multiple pitches.

Teams will first compete in a qualification stage before being placed into six performance tiers for the second phase, based on their results. All participating teams will continue playing through to the final day, with winners crowned in each tier. The winner of Tier A will be named FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival champion.

FIFA introduced the competition following a decision by its council in December 2025, aiming to expand access to international football for all 211 member associations, regardless of their size or footballing tradition.

The inaugural edition features boys' teams, while the 2027 tournament is planned to include girls' teams. From 2028, FIFA intends to invite member associations to enter both boys' and girls' U-15 teams in separate competitions.

Pakistan squad: Shayan Abdul Jabbar Marwat, Muhammad Salman, Muhammad Alam, Maqbool Ahmed, Shahraz Khan, Rameez Riza, Ameer Hamza, Muhammad Mustafa, Ilhan Khan Ali, Bakshi Hamal Khan, Owais Faiz, Zain ul Abideen, Danish Masih, Kaleem Ullah