PFF Names Pakistan Squad for FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival 2026

Pakistan’s young footballers are set to take part in a FIFA event for the first time, with the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) selecting 14 players for the U-15 World Cup and Festival 2026 in Azerbaijan.

The selected players earned their places through their performances in the PFF National U-17 Championship 2026, where some of the country’s top young footballers competed for the title.

The PFF expects the tournament to help young players learn new skills by facing teams from other countries and gain experience playing at the international level. It will also give them a chance to wear Pakistan’s colors on a global stage for the first time. The young Pakistan team is scheduled to fly from Islamabad to Baku on October 20.

For the unversed, FIFA is launching the U-15 World Cup and Festival this year, with plans to make it a regular event. The first girls’ edition will be held next year, and from 2028, both boys’ and girls’ competitions are expected to take place every year.

A total of 191 nations will take part in the event, with teams divided into 32 groups at the start. The winners of these groups will move into the top tier, while the remaining teams will be placed in five other tiers based on their results.

The matches of the tournament will be played at the Hovsan Competition Complex in Baku, where nearly 1,000 games are scheduled across six matchdays. Besides this, the opening match and the finals for each tier will take place on October 30 at Crystal Hall in Azerbaijan’s capital.

Talking about the match structure, each team will have eight players on the field, with two 20-minute halves in every game. This format will give young footballers more chances to play and improve their skills in a highly competitive environment.

Pakistan Squad for FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival 2026

Shayan Abdul Jabbar Marwat, Muhammad Salman, Muhammad Alam, Maqbool Ahmed, Shahraz Khan, Rameez Riza, Ameer Hamza, Muhammad Mustafa, Ilhan Khan Ali, Bakshi Hamal Khan, Owais Faiz, Zain ul Abideen, Danish Masih, Kaleem Ullah