The historic first-ever FIFA U-15 World Cup, hosted across venues in Azerbaijan, kicked off a slate of youth football action on Saturday, October 24, 2026, with a group stage clash pitting Haiti’s young Grenadiers against Australia’s U-15 Socceroos at Baku’s Hovsan Sports Complex. The Haitian side, making its debut on the global under-15 tournament stage, was handed a 3-1 defeat by a dominant Australian squad, though the Caribbean teenagers showed notable resilience to claw back a late consolation goal.
Leading Haiti’s squad for the opening fixture was Cuban head coach Raúl Valentín González Triana, who named a full starting 8 aligned with the tournament’s modified rules: goalkeeper Marc-Evens Lubin of Idéal FC, defensive backs Richardson Bernard (Idéal FC), Prasseley Lamartiniere (Exafoot), and Marvens Fenelon (SLG Académie), midfielders Hanelson Antoine (Idelo FC), Jodeley Delmas (Exafoot), and Aridou Benoit (JAF), and lone forward John Laroque of Les Cayes FC.
Australia seized control of the match almost immediately, stringing together quick, aggressive attacking sequences that yielded three unanswered goals in the first half of the shortened contest. Winger Jacob Sousa broke the deadlock in the 20th minute, before teammate Raman Dalaf doubled the lead just 60 seconds later to put the Socceroos up 2-0. Midfielder Dhilan Calleja extended Australia’s advantage to 3-0 by the 28th minute, leaving Haiti facing a steep uphill climb through the remainder of the 40-minute match.
Undeterred by the lopsided scoreline, the Haitian side fought to carve out attacking opportunities, and was rewarded in the 36th minute when playmaker Aridou Benoit converted a penalty kick to cut Australia’s lead to 3-1, sparking a late surge of attacking pressure that fell short of a full comeback.
The new FIFA U-15 tournament features a host of innovative format rules designed to prioritize youth player development: every match runs for a total of 40 minutes split into two 20-minute halves, contested on a reduced-size pitch measuring 68 meters by 47 meters, with full-size regulation goals. All matches are played as 8-a-side fixtures, with each participating nation limited to a 14-player total squad, and FIFA’s official competition rules apply uniformly across all group stage, classification, and final round matches.
Haiti’s young Grenadiers will remain based at the Hovsan Sports Complex for all their upcoming group stage fixtures, with a packed schedule of four matches over the subsequent two days. On Sunday, October 25, the side will first face Timor-Leste’s “O Sol Nascente” national team at 8:45 a.m. Haiti local time, before taking on Israel’s “Blue and Whites” squad at 3:30 p.m. the same day. The following day, Monday October 26, Haiti will kick off against Andorra’s “Tricolors” at 7:30 a.m., before closing out their group slate against host nation Azerbaijan’s “Odlar Yurdu” side at 3:30 p.m.