Credit : SEFutbol's X
BAKU, October 30, 2026 — Spain have been crowned the first champions of the FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival after beating Czechia 3-0 in the final at Baku Crystal Hall, bringing to a close a one-week youth event that FIFA says gave young players from 189 countries a rare chance to compete on the global stage.
In a post shared on X on Friday, FIFA said more than 3,000 young players and coaches were taking part in the inaugural tournament in Azerbaijan, giving meaningful competitive opportunities to nations for whom qualifying for FIFA competitions remains an enormous challenge. “Providing football opportunities for everyone, everywhere,” the governing body wrote.
Spain take the first title
The final against Czechia was played on Friday evening at Baku Crystal Hall, with Spain winning 3-0, according to FIFA’s match centre. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev watched the final and attended the ceremony to present awards to the winners, his office said. Azerbaijani FIFA referee Aliyar Aghayev took charge of the match, Report.az reported. The winners of five lower divisions were also decided at the same venue earlier in the day.
Wenger: “just what football should do”
FIFA Chief of Global Football Development Arsène Wenger said the event showed football at its best, with players from different cultures mixing off the pitch as well as competing on it. Most of the games were staged at the purpose-built Hovsan Competition Complex, according to FIFA.
“To see the whole world here together and organise a tournament with basically 190 teams and do that all in one week, and (give them the chance) to live in the same place, with the players so happy, so committed… is just what football should do, always,” Wenger said in remarks published by FIFA.
“When you say, ‘Give every talent a chance’, it’s about opportunity. Here they can come, play and discover that they have the needed quality to exist at the top level,” he added.
According to FIFA, 78 of the participating member associations had never previously featured on the global stage in any age category. The tournament used an 8-a-side format with 20-minute halves, which Wenger said was chosen because the gap between countries would be too big in 11-a-side games, and so that teams could meet as many opponents as possible. “It’s working perfectly well,” he said.
FIFA added that more than 500 players at the event had come through FIFA Talent Academies, which have been set up in more than 60 member associations under its Talent Development Scheme.
Girls’ edition next
Azerbaijan was appointed host by the Bureau of the FIFA Council, which said the first edition would be open to boys’ teams from all member associations. The second edition in 2027 will feature girls’ teams only, and from 2028 all member associations will be invited to enter both boys’ and girls’ U-15 teams in two separate competitions. Azerbaijan is also set to co-host the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2027.
Source : FIFA’s X, with details from FIFA, the Office of the President of Azerbaijan and Report.az.
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