FREETOWN, 18th October 2026 – Sierra Leone’s U-15 national team will depart Freetown on Monday, 19th October for Baku, Azerbaijan, to represent the country at the maiden FIFA U-15 World Cup Festival, the Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) has announced.
The team, led by Spanish Technical Director José Miguel Salomon and Assistant Coach Sarah Bangura, concluded preparations on Friday, 16th October after weeks of intensive training at the SLFA Academy.
This is the first time FIFA is organizing a global tournament for U-15 boys, and it is being described as the biggest youth football festival in history.
191 Nations, 1,000 Matches
According to FIFA, 191 Member Associations from all six confederations will participate. More than 3,000 players, coaches and officials will gather in Baku, with nearly 1,000 matches to be played across six matchdays from 22nd to 31st October 2026.
The tournament was approved by the Bureau of the FIFA Council on 25th June 2026, which selected Azerbaijan as host because of its modern sports infrastructure and its experience hosting international events.
Baku will also host the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2027. The women’s edition of the U-15 Festival will be held in 2027.
FIFA Chief of Global Football Development, Arsène Wenger, said the festival is designed to give equal opportunity to all talents.
“Talent exists everywhere, but young players do not always have the same opportunities to test themselves internationally,” Wenger said.
New Format
Unlike the traditional 11-a-side game, matches will be played 8-a-side on smaller pitches, with two 20-minute halves – a total of 40 minutes per match. The format is designed for high-intensity, technical football suited for players born in 2011 and 2012. Each team is allowed 14 players and up to six officials.
The competition will have two phases. In the first phase, teams will play 4-5 group games against opponents from different continents. Results will then place them into six performance tiers for the second phase. Every team will continue playing until the final day, with the winner of Tier A crowned as FIFA U-15 World Cup champions. Up to 20 matches will be played simultaneously.
Sierra Leone’s Fixtures
Sierra Leone will be represented by a 20-man delegation – 14 players and six officials.
The Young Leone Stars are drawn to play five group-stage matches:
– 24th October: vs Afghanistan
– 25th October: vs Russia and vs Sudan (double header)
– 26th October: vs Türkiye and vs Djibouti
Ahead of the trip, SLFA Safeguarding Officer Makallay Kamara engaged the players on safeguarding principles – ensuring every player is safe, respected and protected throughout the tournament and beyond.
The SLFA said the participation marks another major step in its youth development agenda, giving young players early international exposure to different football cultures, tactical awareness and professionalism.
“This is not just about winning, it is about learning, competing, and returning with greater confidence of what is possible through hard work,” the SLFA stated.
