On their entry into the first FIFA U15 World Cup, the Atlas Lion Cubs beat the Philippines 2-0 in Baku, thanks to goals from Safouane Bellamine (6th minute) and Said Noufii (17th minute).
Morocco began their U15 World Cup campaign with a victory. This Saturday, 24 October 2026, at the Hovsan sports complex in Baku, the Moroccan men’s under-15 national team beat the Philippines 2-0, according to APAnews. Striker Safouane Bellamine opened the scoring as early as the 6th minute, before Said Noufii, a midfielder and forward, doubled the lead in the 17th.
In seventeen minutes, the Atlas Lion Cubs had built a two-goal lead on their entry into the opening day of the 1st edition of the FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival. The tournament brings together 189 FIFA member national teams from 24 to 30 October 2026 in Azerbaijan, according to Sport News Africa.
Two goals in seventeen minutes
Morocco’s start was quick: Bellamine, the Lion Cubs’ striker, found the net in the 6th minute, as reported by APAnews. Eleven minutes later, Noufii doubled the lead in the 17th, giving Morocco an early cushion that the Philippines could not close.
The score did not change until the final whistle, ending 2-0: the Moroccans therefore start their competition with a win and a clean sheet. The sources consulted do not give details of how the second half unfolded.
A Group F and an inaugural tournament
Morocco play in Group F, alongside Belize, Costa Rica, Curaçao, Liberia and the Philippines, APAnews specifies. The Lion Cubs are not the continent’s only representatives: twenty African national teams are taking part in this inaugural world tournament.
The format chosen by FIFA keeps every team in the running right to the end: classification matches are scheduled until the final day, with no early direct elimination, Sport News Africa indicates.
Four matches in two days
The Lion Cubs’ schedule leaves no respite. As early as this Sunday, 25 October, Morocco face Costa Rica at 10:30, then Belize at 16:45, still in Baku, according to APAnews. Two games in one day for the same national team.
The following day, Monday 26 October, the Moroccans will meet Curaçao at 10:30, before taking on Liberia at 16:45. The tournament runs until 30 October.