Somalia makes historic FIFA tournament debut at U-15 World Cup and Festival in Baku

Baku, Azerbaijan (HOL)— Somalia will make its first appearance at a FIFA tournament when its under-15 national team begins competition Saturday at the inaugural FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival in Azerbaijan.

Somalia is among 189 FIFA member associations taking part in the six-day event in Baku, with 78 countries competing in a FIFA World Cup competition for the first time at any age level, according to FIFA.

Somalia’s under-15 team, known as the Ocean Stars, traveled to Azerbaijan for the competition, which runs from Oct. 24-30.

The tournament differs significantly from FIFA’s traditional World Cups.

Teams will play eight-a-side matches consisting of two 20-minute halves on smaller pitches. Players eligible for the competition were born in 2011 or 2012, and each country has a squad of 14 players.

The opening stage places teams into groups designed to provide a mixture of sporting levels and geographical representation. Each team will play four or five matches before being assigned to one of six competitive tiers based on its results.

Teams then play another four or five matches within their assigned tier. Rather than a conventional knockout competition producing a single champion, FIFA will crown a winner in each of the six tiers.

The event is also designed as a development program rather than solely a competition.

Players will take part in educational and life-skills programs, awareness activities and meetings with former international players and other FIFA representatives. All teams will stay in a shared athletes’ village, giving young players an opportunity to interact with participants from around the world.

Somali Football Federation President Ali Abdi Mohamed told the players before their departure that they were carrying the country’s flag onto a FIFA tournament stage for the first time.

“This will be Somalia’s first opportunity to showcase the country at a FIFA tournament,” Mohamed said, according to FIFA.

FIFA plans to introduce a corresponding girls’ U-15 tournament in 2027, with both boys’ and girls’ editions expected to become annual competitions from 2028.