Ali Thameem
The Maldives U-15 national team ended its FIFA U-15 World Cup games with a historic victory, beating the British Virgin Islands 2-0 in the final match of the group stage today.
The Maldives played five matches in the group stage of the inaugural tournament, which was organised by FIFA as a football festival, and was held in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Maldives lost four matches and drew the other, against Anguilla, before finishing off with a win against the British Virgin Islands.
Maldives were drawn in Group A alongside Estonia, South Africa, France, Kosovo and Anguilla.
The Maldives’ victory over the British Virgin Islands, under head coach Ahmed Shakir (Shakitte), came in their final ranking match. The team finished 159th among the 189 participating nations.
FIFA approved the introduction of the U-15 World Cup and Festival in December 2025 as part of its efforts to develop youth football and provide opportunities for all its member associations to participate in an international competition. The inaugural edition, being held in Baku, Azerbaijan, features boys’ teams, with a separate girls’ edition scheduled for 2027. From 2028 onwards, FIFA plans to hold boys’ and girls’ editions each year.
The introduction of a U-15 World Cup is to give young players from every FIFA member association the opportunity to take part in an international football competition, regardless of their country’s standing in the global game, FIFA had stated.
