South Africa’s next generation of football talent is set to make history as the inaugural FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival gets underway in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 24–30 October 2026.
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| 📸 SAFA |
The tournament brings together young footballers from across the FIFA family, creating a unique platform for the next generation to experience international competition and showcase their talent on a global stage. Unlike the traditional FIFA World Cup, the U-15 World Cup & Festival has been designed with player development, participation and exposure at its core.
An eight-a-side World Cup
The tournament will use an innovative 8v8 format, with eight players on the field for each team, including the goalkeeper. Matches will be played over two 20-minute halves, creating a fast-paced format that will test the youngsters' technical ability, decision-making and adaptability.
Each participating nation will have a squad of 14 players, while substitutions will be rolling, allowing coaches to give players valuable game time throughout the tournament. Another key feature of the competition is that no team will be eliminated after the opening stage.
The opening phase will take place from 24–26 October, with teams competing in groups. Their final positions will determine which performance tier they enter for the second stage. The tournament phase will then run from 28–30 October, with teams continuing to compete for honours in their respective tiers. The winner of the top tier will be crowned the inaugural FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival champion.
The format means that every youngster will have the opportunity to continue playing international football throughout the festival, regardless of their results in the opening stage.
South Africa in Group A
South Africa, coached by Selekedi Mogale, has been drawn in Group A alongside Maldives, Kosovo, Anguilla, Estonia and France. They face a demanding five-match group-stage schedule, with all their opening-phase matches taking place at the Hovsan Competition Complex in Baku.
South Africa's Group-Stage Fixtures
Date | Opponent| Baku Time| SA Time
24 October| 🇲🇻 Maldives| 09:00| 07:00
25 October| 🇽🇰 Kosovo| 12:45| 10:45
25 October| 🇦🇮 Anguilla| 19:30| 17:30
26 October| 🇪🇪 Estonia| 11:30| 09:30
26 October| 🇫🇷 France| 18:15| 16:15
South Africa will therefore face two opponents on both Sunday and Monday, making squad rotation and recovery particularly important during the opening phase. With every team guaranteed continued participation beyond the opening phase, South Africa's campaign will be about more than simply chasing results. The tournament offers the youngsters an opportunity to gain invaluable international experience while testing themselves against players from different footballing environments.
As the team prepares for its historic opening match, Head Coach Selekedi Mogale says the focus will be on controlling the game, maintaining possession and making the most of their opportunities against the Maldives.
“What we are looking forward to in our opening match against the Maldives is the playing structure, moving the ball, maintaining ball rotation and actually managing the game.”
Mogale wants his charges to be positive in attack, but believes managing their energy will be equally important given the demanding schedule that awaits them.
“We are looking to score goals, create a lot of opportunities but really to manage the game so that we don’t use a lot of energy to win the game, but use it well enough so that we progress into Day 2 with a little bit more energy than expected, and goals, and also gelling together and growing together in the tournament.”
The coach's emphasis on energy management could prove particularly important, with South Africa scheduled to play five matches across three days during the opening phase. For the young Amajimbos, the objective will be to start positively against the Maldives while building confidence and cohesion as the tournament progresses.
Beyond the football itself, Mogale has been impressed by the scale and concept of the inaugural U-15 World Cup & Festival. The tournament has brought together youngsters from a remarkable number of countries, giving the players an opportunity to experience different cultures and meet fellow young footballers from around the world. “This is a very good FIFA initiative, even at lunch today the colleagues and boys said they’ve never seen so many countries in their lives. Some of them didn’t even know some of these countries existed,” said Mogale.
He also expressed his appreciation to FIFA and the South African Football Association for making it possible for the young players to be part of the historic event. “Thanks to FIFA for the concept and to SAFA for allowing us to be here,” he added.
The 14 players representing South Africa
South Africa will be represented by a 14-player squad made up of two goalkeepers, four defenders, four midfielders and four forwards.
Goalkeepers
- Mpho Raburabu — Mamelodi Sundowns
- Ian De Jongh — Kaizer Chiefs
Defenders
- Osaretin Asubaja — Mamelodi Sundowns
- Alex Van Der Werf — Cape Town City
- Katlego Mokhabuki — Mamelodi Sundowns
- Tumelo Moerane — Kaizer Chiefs
Midfielders
- Bohlale Finger — Mamelodi Sundowns
- Camden Schaper — Blackburn Rovers
- Tshiamo Mashishi — Mamelodi Sundowns
- Neo Dlamini — Kaizer Chiefs
Forwards
- Lesedi Hlalale — Kaizer Chiefs
- Keanu Moses — Mamelodi Sundowns
- Inganathi Saliwa — Kaizer Chiefs
- Reatlegile Mosimane — Kaizer Chiefs
The squad features players from some of South Africa's leading football development structures, including Mamelodi Sundowns, Kaizer Chiefs, Cape Town City and Blackburn Rovers. For these young players, wearing the South African colours at the inaugural FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival represents a significant milestone in their development and an opportunity to announce themselves on an international stage.
A tournament built around development
Although winning the inaugural title will be a major ambition, the tournament has been structured to provide young players with meaningful international exposure and opportunities to learn through competition.
The unique format ensures that the youngsters will continue playing even after the group phase, giving them more opportunities to gain experience against international opposition.
For South Africa, the festival presents an important opportunity to expose a new generation of footballers to international football at an early stage of their development. It also gives the youngsters an opportunity to build relationships, experience different football cultures and understand what it takes to compete at an international level.
As the first whistle approaches in Baku, the spotlight will fall on a group of 14 young South Africans who have been selected to represent their country at a tournament that could become an important chapter in their football journeys. The journey begins on Saturday, 24 October at 07:00 SAST against the Maldives, before South Africa faces Kosovo, Anguilla, Estonia and France across an intense three-day group-stage schedule.
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