4 September 2026 – The South African Football Association (SAFA) has announced that an SA 15 team will represent the nation at the inaugural FIFA U15 World Cup taking place in Azerbaijan next month (22 – 31 October).
The tournament is open to all 211 FIFA Member Associations and SAFA has signed up to send a team to the all-new global youth football tournament. The event will have 32 groups and will use a fast-paced 8-a-side format. It will be played on smaller pitches to maximise playing time. More than competing for a trophy, the competition is all about prioritizing early technical skills and football intelligence.
According to a FIFA circular, the first edition will feature only boys’ teams, while the 2027 competition has been set aside for girls only. From the 2028 calendar year, both genders will participate annually in separate competitions.
“The event is inspired to globally unite young football talent and promote cultural exchange, acting as a youth festival of football,” said FIFA in a statement.
The South African U15 Boys National Team will be led by head coach Selekedi Mogale, who was recently in charge of the SA U16 National team that played friendly matches in Bulgaria in April this year.
“First of all, we need to applaud FIFA for this great initiative, and gratitude also goes to our Association for allowing us to participate in this global event. We are delighted to be part of this magnificent tournament as this is what many nations, especially on the African continent, have been calling for as we need to start them young in international environments. We do not take this lightly and will put together a strong team that will not only go there to compete but most importantly, to also learn because this helps our efforts to build a perfect career pathway from the juniors all the way to the top. This is what we mean when we talk about development,” said SAFA Technical Director Molefi Ntseki.
“We are also excited to be taking part in another World Cup, coming shortly after Bafana Bafana’s participation in the recently ended tournament, and coming at the back of our qualification in the FIFAe Word Cup. So it’s another World Cup for South Africa and we are delighted to be part of the global movement not just by name but by participation.”
The FIFA U15 World Cup and Festival 2026 will take place in Baku, and the South African team will assemble for camp from 13 October 2026.
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