FIFA is set to roll-out one of its most groundbreaking football events, one that is unrivalled in scale or ambition.

All corners of the globe will be represented when the maiden edition of the FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival 2026™ takes place this month in Baku, Azerbaijan with 190 Member Associations (MAs) set to take part.

Six matchdays will see some 3,000 participants compete in 950 matches. Each team will play a minimum of nine matches to support the development of the best players, with 20 simultaneous games taking point at any given time. By comparison, the recently expanded FIFA World Cup 2026™ witnessed 104 matches played over a six-week period.

The FIFA Council confirmed in December 2025 the introduction of new U-15 festival-style tournaments for boys and girls that will be open to all 211 MAs, as part of FIFA’s ongoing commitment to developing youth football globally.

The 2026 edition will be contested by boys’ teams, while the 2027 instalment will feature girls’ teams. From 2028 onwards, all MAs will be invited to participate with both their boys’ and girls’ U-15 teams in two separate competitions.

Inspired by the motto ‘Give every talent a chance’ and a vision to provide an opportunity for young players from every part of the world to compete on a global scale, FIFA's Competition Management and Global Football Development departments worked together to develop an original tournament format on a scale that has never been seen before.

FIFA aims to deliver a technical legacy in every single MA and it is this overarching development philosophy that provided the underlying principles for this tournament.

The competition is aimed at maximising developing opportunities by giving young players meaningful match exposure against different regions, and varying styles and standards of football, in order to support their development journey. At the same time, bringing MAs together in one global youth football setting creates valuable opportunities for coaches and technical teams to exchange knowledge and experiences, and take learnings back to their own football environments, extending the tournament’s impact beyond the players on the pitch.

FIFA Chief of Global Football Development, Arsène Wenger, said: “At this age, the most important thing is to play. Young players need meaningful matches, different opponents and different football experiences in order to develop. Talent exists everywhere, but the opportunities available to young players are not always the same. This tournament gives players from across the world the chance to compete, to learn and to grow. Because giving every talent a chance means helping promising players be found, trained and given the opportunity to play, so they can reach their full potential.”

To deliver on the central football development philosophy behind the tournament, FIFA have designed a format that will promote fast-paced football with more touches and interactions on the ball, allowing each player to focus on and develop their technical skills. A small-sided format, unlimited substitutions and kick-ins will help achieve this, while shorter matches will allow for more experience against varied opposition.

A unique competition format is required to support the overall tournament objective. The distinctive tournament design includes a round robin in groups featuring varying strengths and confederations (all groups will include a minimum of three confederations). The tournament stage will then deliver a more competitive level appropriate for each team, with all teams continuing to play until the end of the six-day competition. This format will result in six winners, one per each tier of the tournament stage, with the champion of Tier A crowded as the inaugural U15 World Cup & Festival Champion.

Player eligibility: Born 2011-2012. Match format: 8 v 8; 2 x 20 minutes. Pitch dimensions: 68m × 47m, with full-size goals. Delegation size: 14 players (up to six staff members per team). Tournament format: Teams will first compete in groups that provide diverse sporting and regional representation. 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. One winner for each of the six tiers.

Amended playing conditions Throw-ins will be replaced by a kick-in Offside will only apply beyond specially marked offside lines positioned 14 metres from the goal line.

All of the players will be housed at the same athletes’ village accommodation, allowing a unique opportunity to interact with almost every nation from around the world. This design will also for various short life-skills programmes to be delivered at the athletes’ village together with a Learning Zone for players.

“It is also about more that the matches,” Mr Wenger added. “Bringing young players and coaches from almost every part of the world together creates an opportunity to learn from different football cultures and from each other. If we want to develop football globally, we have to create these opportunities early in a player’s journey.”

The FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival 2026™ Dates: 24-30 October 2026 Venues: Hovsan Competition Complex, Baku Crystal Hall, Baku (Opening Match and Tier Finals only)

The FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival 2026™ match schedule can be found here.