African youngsters shine as Kenya finishes 26th at inaugural FIFA U15 festival

The inaugural festival delivered on its promise of giving young footballers from across the world an opportunity to compete and develop.

Bonface Osano, Marabou News Agency

Africa’s next generation of football talent made a strong statement on the global stage, with Guinea and Ghana breaking into the world’s top seven as Kenya capped an encouraging campaign at the inaugural FIFA U15 World Cup and Festival in Baku, Azerbaijan.

The week-long competition, brought together 189 national teams from October 24 to 30, introduced an innovative development model aimed at giving young players exposure to international football.

Played in an eight-a-side format, the tournament featured multiple performance tiers, ensuring teams continued competing until the final day rather than being eliminated after early defeats.

African teams accounted for 52 of the participating nations, according to FIFA, with several enjoying impressive campaigns.

Guinea emerged as Africa’s highest-placed representative, finishing sixth in the elite Tier A competition, while Ghana’s Black Comets secured seventh place after an impressive attacking display.

The Ghanaians scored 44 goals in ten matches, winning eight encounters. They concluded their campaign in style with a commanding 4-0 victory over Colombia, recovering from a heavy defeat to Brazil in the fifth-to-eighth-place classification matches.

Morocco and Egypt also made the top 15, finishing 13th and 14th respectively, while Cameroon placed 23rd.

Zambia provided one of Africa’s biggest highlights, defeating European heavyweights Portugal 5-2 in the Tier B final to claim the divisional title. The Central African Republic also celebrated silverware, beating Bangladesh 4-1 to win Tier E. Tunisia and Ethiopia were among the other African finalists.

Kenya’s young charges, meanwhile, finished 26th among the 189 participating nations, emerging as the highest-ranked team from the CECAFA region, with the team being treated to a grand reception upon their return.

The Patrick Nyale-coached side went unbeaten in the group stage, topping Group Z before progressing to the elite Tier A classification rounds.

Kenya recorded five victories, two draws and three defeats in ten matches, scoring 27 goals. Captain Innocent Media led the attack with nine goals, establishing himself as one of the team’s standout performers.

Despite losing their final classification match 3-1 to South Korea, the Kenyan youngsters return with valuable international experience and a strong foundation for future development.

Spain claimed the Tier A title, beating Czechia 3-0 in the final, as the inaugural festival delivered on its promise of giving young footballers from across the world an opportunity to compete and develop.

Marabou News Agency

Editor: George Mutero

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