Malta will be among 191 countries to take part in the inaugural FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival 2026 which is set to get under way with the first matches to be played from 24 October 2026 in Azerbaijan. This event offers FIFA Member Associations of all sizes and with varying football traditions the opportunity to participate in a competition on the global stage.
Malta was drawn in Group Z along Chad, Kenya, Niger, North Macedonia and Panama.
This inaugural edition will pave the way for FIFA to establish the competition as a fixture of the international game, with the first girls’ tournament scheduled for next year. Both girls’ and boys’ tournaments are then planned to take place annually from 2028.
In line with the decision taken by the FIFA Council in December 2025, the competition is open to all FIFA Member Associations.
FIFA Chief of Global Football Development, Arsène Wenger, emphasised the tournament’s transformative potential: “Talent exists everywhere, but young players do not always have the same opportunities to test themselves internationally. This tournament is about providing them with that opportunity. By bringing teams from across the world together at U-15 level, we can give players meaningful matches, expose them to different styles and football cultures, and help them learn and develop through competition.”
The competition will feature an innovative 8v8 format with 20-minute halves, designed to maximise player development and match experience. Truly demonstrating how football unites the world, nearly 1,000 games will be played across six matchdays at the Hovsan Competition Complex in Baku, with the opening match and the tier finals on 30 October scheduled to take place at the iconic Crystal Hall in Azerbaijan’s capital city.
Key tournament details
- Pitch dimensions: 68m × 47m, with full-size goals (7.32m × 2.44m).
- Delegation size: 14 players and up to six staff members per team.
- Player eligibility: Players born in 2011 or 2012.
- Expected participant numbers: More than 3,000 young players, coaches and officials.
- Format: Teams will first compete in groups that provide diverse sporting and regional representation. Results from the group (qualification) stage will determine placement in the second (tournament) stage.
- Qualification stage: Four to five matches in a round-robin format.
- Tournament stage: Four to five additional matches per team, determined by results and subsequent tier placement.
- Ranking: A simple pre-tournament ranking was used to support balanced group formation and appropriately competitive fixtures throughout the tournament, helping to provide the best possible development experience for players. It combines senior national-team performance with recent youth national-team participation and results, reflecting both the overall football strength of each Member Association and the activity and competitiveness of its youth pathway.
The second phase will consist of six performance tiers, based on qualification-stage results. Every team will continue playing through to the final matchday, ensuring a consistent and meaningful competitive experience for all participants. The winners of each tier will be crowned, and the team that come out on top in Tier A will be honoured as FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival champions.
FIFA has implemented a comprehensive match schedule designed to balance competitive intensity with player welfare. The tournament infrastructure will support 20 simultaneous matches across multiple pitches at the Hovsan Competition Complex, with up to ten games scheduled per pitch daily.
In the qualifying stage, Malta plays Kenya on October 24 at 1245, Niger at 1130 and Chad at 1815 on October 25, North Macedonia at 1015 and Panama at 17 on October 26. Malta would play further matches in the Tournament stage between October 28 and 30.
