New details have been announced regarding the FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival, which will be held in Azerbaijan for the first time.
As reported by İdman.Biz, FIFA has confirmed that the first matches of the tournament will take place on October 24.
Around 1,000 matches are planned across six matchdays. The majority of the games will be staged at the Hovsan Olympic Sports Complex in Baku, where up to 20 matches can be played simultaneously and individual pitches can host as many as 10 games per day.
The tournament’s opening match, as well as the finals across the different performance levels on October 30, will be held at Baku Crystal Hall.
The competition will feature an unusual format, with teams playing eight-a-side matches consisting of two 20-minute halves.
Based on the results of the initial stage, teams will be divided into six performance levels for the second phase. All participating teams will continue playing until the final matchday.
A winner will be determined at each level, while the team that triumphs at Level A will be crowned the winner of the FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival.
A special ranking system was used ahead of the tournament to create balanced groups. In addition to senior national team results, the ranking also took into account the recent participation and performances of younger national teams in international competitions.
FIFA Chief of Global Football Development Arsene Wenger said the main objective of the tournament is to provide young players with more international match experience.
According to Wenger, bringing teams from around the world together at U-15 level will allow young footballers to experience different playing styles and football cultures while developing in a competitive environment.
FIFA expects more than 3,000 players, coaches and officials to participate. Each team will consist of 14 players and up to six coaches and other staff members.
Players born in 2011 and 2012 will be eligible to take part.
Around 250 volunteers will also be involved in the organisation of the tournament. Registration for the volunteer programme, jointly organised by FIFA and the Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan (AFFA), opened on September 10.
The FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival will be staged in Azerbaijan for the first time. A similar tournament for girls is planned for 2027, while from 2028 the boys’ and girls’ competitions are expected to be held annually.
Hosts Azerbaijan have been drawn in Group AF alongside Andorra, Australia, Haiti, Israel and Timor-Leste.
