Algeria produced one of the opening-day surprises at the inaugural FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival, beating Argentina 1-0 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Abdelkarim Meharzi scored the only goal in the 31st minute as the Young Fennecs made an impressive start to the tournament, which began on Saturday and features almost 190 national teams.
Morocco also won their opening match, defeating the Philippines 2-0. Safouan Bellamine put Morocco ahead after six minutes before Said Noufii doubled their advantage in the 18th minute.
There was another strong result for an African side as Cameroon recorded a 3-0 victory over Senegal in an all-African meeting. Fareilromain Ngobo opened the scoring in the 17th minute, Andy Daniel Massoda added a second three minutes later and Randy Ngome completed the win in the 32nd minute.
DR Congo had a more difficult start, losing 3-2 to El Salvador despite goals from Charles Shina in the 27th minute and Elie Lobwa in the 35th.
Elsewhere, South Africa claimed the biggest win of the day with an 8-0 victory against the Maldives. Tunisia defeated Nepal 3-1, while Congo edged Tajikistan 3-2.
Guinea-Bissau were beaten 8-0 by Brazil, and Burundi suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat by Portugal. Malawi overcame Chinese Taipei 3-2, while Zimbabwe also won by that score against Cambodia.
Lesotho defeated Gabon 3-2 in another all-African contest, while the Central African Republic lost 4-0 to China.
Twenty African national teams are taking part in the first World Cup of their history as part of the FIFA initiative. The competition, being held in Baku from 24 to 30 October, includes 189 selections, 78 of which come from federations that have never previously appeared at a World Cup at any level.
A different kind of tournament
The event uses an eight-a-side format, with matches played on reduced-size pitches and split into two 20-minute halves. Almost 1,000 matches are scheduled, with as many as 20 taking place at the same time.
No team is eliminated early. Following the opening group phase, the selections are placed into six divisions according to their results. Every team continues playing until the final day, with a winner crowned in each division and the overall world champion coming from Division A.
The main aim is to give 14- and 15-year-old players more opportunities to play international football. The tournament also offers an experience beyond the results, particularly for young players from Africa and other regions who may be travelling abroad for the first time.
For one week, participants from across the world will stay in the same athletes’ village, encounter different cultures, meet peers from other countries and take part in educational activities.
Not every player will become a professional footballer, and some may never play in another international competition. But the tournament gives them the chance to visit a new country, form relationships they might otherwise never have made and share an experience through football. For teams rarely seen on the global stage, that opportunity is significant.
