AIFF Media Team

NEW DELHI: India U15 men's team head coach Bibiano Fernandes has named a 14-player squad for the inaugural FIFA U15 World Cup & Festival Azerbaijan 2026, which will be held in Baku from October 24 to 31.

The Blue Colts will compete in Group K alongside Bahrain, Cameroon, Grenada, Laos and Senegal.

As part of their preparations for the tournament, India played two friendly matches against Aspire Academy U15, which forms the core of the Qatar national team, in Doha last week. Both matches ended 2-2. The team subsequently returned to Delhi, where they continued their training camp ahead of the trip to Azerbaijan.

The Indian contingent will arrive in Baku on the morning of October 21.

India will play five matches in the qualification stage over three days. They will face Laos on October 24, Cameroon and Grenada on October 25, and Bahrain and Senegal on October 26.

Head coach Bibiano Fernandes said, "Our main objective is to compete with courage, discipline and aggression, while giving every player the opportunity to perform at their highest level in the world. We want to give our best efforts to win every match and gain valuable international experience.

"Selecting the final 14 was not easy, but we chose players who could contribute to the team and handle the demands of this historic tournament. The most special thing about this squad is the hunger to learn and the willingness to work hard."

The tournament features 189 national teams divided into 32 groups, with matches played in an 8-a-side format.

"We have focused on adapting our players to the demands of the 8v8 format — explosive decision-making and faster transitions between attack and defence. They need to understand their role and express themselves with confidence and creativity while contributing to the team's intentions," Fernandes added.

The second phase will consist of six performance tiers, based on qualification-stage results. Every team will continue playing through to the final matchday, ensuring a consistent and meaningful competitive experience for all participants. The winners of each tier will be crowned, and the team that comes out on top in Tier A will be honoured as FIFA U15 World Cup & Festival 2026 champions.

India's 14-player squad for the FIFA U15 World Cup & Festival Azerbaijan 2026:

Goalkeepers: Dhannya Desai, Jenit Ningthoujam.
Defenders: Birjit Singh Amom, Muhammad Sohil Khan, Nara Meitei Loushambam, Pratham Kumar, Soumojit Sarkar.
Midfielders: C Lalhmingropuia, Deepak Singh Arambam, Nibash Meetei Wahengbam, R Lalremruatfela, Victor Lalawmpuia.
Forwards: Macdonnish Ngairangbam, Ronandev Aheibam.

Head coach: Bibiano Fernandes
Assistant coach: Surinder Singh
Goalkeeping coach: Parshuram Salwadi

India's fixtures in Group K of the FIFA U15 World Cup & Festival:

October 24: Laos vs India – 11:45 IST, Pitch 1B
October 25: India vs Cameroon – 10:30 IST, Pitch 1B
October 25: Grenada vs India – 17:15 IST, Pitch 1B
October 26: Bahrain vs India – 14:15 IST, Pitch 9A
October 26: India vs Senegal – 21:00 IST, Pitch 8A

Venue: Hovsan Competition Complex, Baku