Algeria U15, coached by Karim Ziani, beat Argentina 1-0 on the opening day of the first FIFA U15 World Cup in Baku, where Cameroon won 3-0 against Senegal and Morocco 2-0 against the Philippines.
The first edition of the FIFA U15 World Cup and Festival was officially launched this Saturday, 24 October 2026 in Baku, Azerbaijan. On their tournament debut, Algeria U15 pulled off the inaugural upset by beating Argentina 1-0, reports Afrik-Foot.
The rest of the day was a mixed bag for Africa. In the continental derby, Cameroon beat Senegal 3-0, while Morocco won 2-0 against the Philippines. DR Congo, for their part, went down to defeat.
Ngobo and Massoda set Cameroon on their way
For the Indomitable Lion Cubs, Fareilromain Ngobo, a U15 forward, found the target in the 17th minute, before Andy Daniel Massoda, also a U15 forward, doubled the lead in the 20th minute, according to Afrik-Foot. Cameroon eventually won 3-0 against Senegal.
The U15 national team coach, Franck Cédric Onana, is in charge of this side, one of the twenty CAF national teams taking part in the tournament. With a three-goal margin, Cameroon recorded Africa’s biggest win of the day, ahead of Tunisia (3-1 against Nepal).
Morocco comfortable, DR Congo caught out
Morocco, coached by Karim Meftal, also the U15 national team coach, confirmed their first outing with a 2-0 win over the Philippines. The Moroccans will next face Costa Rica on Sunday, 25 October at 10:30, then Belize at 16:45.
DR Congo were caught out in their very first match: the Congolese went down 2-3 to El Salvador, according to Afrik-Foot. Malawi and Zimbabwe, by contrast, opened their tournament with wins, against Taiwan (3-2) and Cambodia (3-2).
A format with no elimination
This first U15 World Cup follows special rules. Matches are played eight-a-side, over two 20-minute halves, with unlimited substitutions, Afrik-Foot specifies. The tournament brings together 189 national teams spread across 32 groups, from A to AF, until 30 October 2026.
No team is eliminated after the group stage: the national teams will be redistributed into six tiered divisions through to the finals. Twenty CAF national teams are taking part, some of them playing in the first World Cup in their history, such as Madagascar, the Comoros and Mauritania.
The first phase ends on 27 October, and the division phase will be played from 28 to 30 October in Baku.