The international youth football landscape is set to welcome a groundbreaking new competition next month, with Iraq learning its group stage opponents for the first-ever FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival, hosted in Azerbaijan. When the draw was finalized, Iraq was placed in Group S, where it will face off against Egypt, the Cayman Islands, Macau, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Trinidad and Tobago ahead of the tournament kickoff in Baku.
Scheduled to run in late October, the historic tournament brings together 191 member associations from across the globe, competing in an innovative 8-versus-8 match format that sets it apart from traditional senior and youth FIFA events. Unlike conventional knockout or single-tier competition structures, the new tournament uses a performance-based tier system after the initial group stage: all teams are sorted into six separate tiers matching their group-stage results, with the top side in the highest Tier A claiming the inaugural world championship title.
Match regulations for the youth-focused event are tailored to young players’ development, with each contest split into two 20-minute halves. Every team will compete in four to five group-stage matches before advancing to their respective performance tier, where they will play an additional four to five games to determine final rankings.
In preparation for the tournament, the Iraq Football Association finalized its technical and administrative leadership for the under-15 side just one day before the draw. The federation announced the appointment of Safwan Abdul Ghani as head coach of the national U-15 squad. Alongside Abdul Ghani, Karim Allawi will take on dual roles as team supervisor and safety and security officer, Ismail Mohammed will serve as administrative manager, and Alaa Kati has been named goalkeeping coach for the delegation.
FIFA selected Azerbaijan as the host nation for this maiden edition of the U-15 competition back in June. The tournament was specifically developed by global football’s governing body to expand accessible international competitive opportunities for youth development programs across all of its member associations, prioritizing growth and participation for emerging young talent worldwide.