Singapore finish 141st in inaugural FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival

Singapore forward Adryan Alfian taking on players in their 9-0 win over the British Virgin Islands in the Tier E knockout stage of the inaugural FIFA Under-15 World Cup and Festival.

PHOTO: FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF SINGAPORE

Published Oct 31, 2026, 04:28 PM

Updated Oct 31, 2026, 04:32 PM

Singapore finished 141st of 189 teams at the first FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival in Baku, Azerbaijan after a mixed run, ending with a 4-1 win over Eswatini.

Adryan Alfian scored twice in their final match and finished with 10 goals, while Iman Naqib and Kyen Sasikumar also scored another as Singapore recovered from heavy early losses.

The event also saw controversy: Germany stayed away, Russia returned to a FIFA event, Ukraine did not enter, and England walked off after alleged racist remarks in a match against Ireland.

SINGAPORE – After playing 10 matches in seven days, Singapore emerged 141st out of 189 teams at the inaugural FIFA Under-15 World Cup and Festival in Baku, Azerbaijan.

The Cubs beat Eswatini 4-1 on Oct 30 in their final match of the eight-a-side competition played across 20-minute halves.

Despite falling short of their top-90 target, Singapore U-15 coach Ashraf Ariffin felt there were positives to take away from the campaign, including their “build-up play and progression through the thirds”.

He added: “At the same time, we recognise that there are areas where we need to improve. In attack, we need to be more effective in the final third, particularly in creating and converting goal-scoring opportunities.

“Defensively, we need to strengthen our individual defending and show greater intensity, resilience and competitiveness in our duels.”

Kicking off their qualification-stage campaign on Oct 24, Singapore lost their first four Group P games to Guatemala (1-0), Honduras (3-0), Canada (6-0), Guinea (6-0) before breaking the duck with a 12-0 trouncing of American Samoa.

Finishing fifth out of the sextet, two spots below their target, they entered the Tier E knockout rounds for the second-lowest group of 32 teams in the tournament stage.

They got off to a good start by thumping British Virgin Islands 9-0, but lost 4-3 to Bangladesh on penalties after a 1-1 draw, and were trounced 7-0 by Hong Kong.

After recovering to beat St Vincent and the Grenadines 8-3, they ended the tournament with victory against Eswatini.

Forward Adryan Alfian notched a brace after just 14 minutes with a delightful half-volley and a cool right-footed effort, as he finished as the team’s top scorer with 10 goals.

Midfielder Iman Naqib made it 3-0 from a tight angle before forward Kyen Sasikumar smashed in a left-footed shot two minutes after the restart for his seventh goal of the competition. Eswatini got a consolation goal seven minutes from time.

Skipper Iman called it an “unforgettable experience” to play alongside so many different teams at the Hovsan Competition Complex, a purpose-built facility comprising 10 full-sized astroturf fields reconfigured into 68m-by-48m pitches.

He added: “The standard of competition was really high, and we came up against some very strong teams that were technically and tactically very good. We gave our best in every match.

“Of course, we hoped for better results, but I think this experience will help us understand what we need to improve on as a team.

“It taught me how important it is to adapt quickly to different environments and challenges. I believe the lessons I’ve gained from this tournament will help me grow, not just as a footballer, but as a person too.”

Ashraf felt that every opportunity to compete internationally is valuable to the players’ individual development, especially when they have to get out of their comfort zones.

He added: “Ultimately, our aim is to develop players who are better prepared for the demands of international football, both mentally and physically, and can contribute to Singapore’s national teams in the future. Experiences like this are an important part of that journey, and what matters is building on these lessons moving forward. ”

The 14-strong squad comprised nine players from Lion City Sailors academy, two from the Unleash The Roar! National Development Centre programme, one from the Singapore Sports School and two players based in Spain.

Singapore players in training before the FIFA Under-15 World Cup and Festival where they finished 141st out of 189 teams. PHOTO: FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF SINGAPORE

Singapore players in training before the FIFA Under-15 World Cup and Festival where they finished 141st out of 189 teams.

Spain, who won the men’s senior World Cup in July, proved just as strong at youth level when they beat Czech Republic 3-0 to be crowned the first champions of the inaugural competition.

Australia and South Korea were the only two teams from the Asian Football Confederation to top their groups. The Australians lost 2-0 to Cameroon in the 23rd-place play-off, while the South Koreans beat Kenya 3-1 to finish 25th.

Among South-east Asian teams, Malaysia are the top performers with their 56th placing after becoming the only team from the region to enter Tier B of the tournament stage by finishing second in Group H.

Indonesia (72nd), Thailand (77th) and Vietnam (82nd) finished in the top 100, while Singapore are seventh among the 11 sides from the region.

The tournament was not without controversy, as Germany declined to participate, with their football association stating that such a tournament is premature for players at this developmental stage.

On the other hand, Russia made a return to a FIFA-sanctioned event and finished 19th, although a ban that started in 2022 following its invasion of Ukraine, remains for older age groups. In response, Ukraine chose not to participate.

During the event, England walked off the pitch at 4-1 down during a top-of-the-table Group C match at the Under-15 World Cup after an Ireland player was alleged to have made racist remarks. The match was abandoned and they ultimately finished 57th and 21st respectively.

Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, now FIFA’s chief of global football development, however, hailed the tournament as a success.

He said: “We have seen many smaller countries competing with the bigger countries, so that is important that they meet, and like I told you, they can compete.

“When you say, ‘Give every talent a chance’, it’s about opportunity. Here they can come, play and discover that they have the needed quality to exist at the top level.”

The 2027 edition will feature girls’ teams, with both boys’ and girls’ competitions planned for 2028.

David Lee is senior sports correspondent at The Straits Times, focusing on aquatics, badminton, basketball, cue sports, football and table tennis.

在首届国际足联U15世界杯暨足球节E级淘汰赛阶段，新加坡队以9-0战胜英属维尔京群岛队，新加坡前锋阿德里安·阿尔菲安与对手球员拼抢。

照片：新加坡足球协会

发布于 2026 年 10 月 31 日下午 4:28

更新于2026年10月31日下午4:32

在阿塞拜疆巴库举行的首届国际足联U-15世界杯暨足球节上，新加坡队在189支参赛队伍中排名第141位，比赛过程喜忧参半，最终以4-1战胜斯威士兰队。

阿德里安·阿尔菲安在最后一场比赛中梅开二度，最终以 10 个进球结束比赛，而伊曼·纳基布和基恩·萨西库马尔也各进一球，帮助新加坡队从早期的惨败中恢复过来。

此次赛事也引发了争议：德国缺席，俄罗斯重返国际足联赛事，乌克兰没有参赛，英格兰在与爱尔兰的比赛中因涉嫌种族歧视言论而退赛。

新加坡——在七天内进行了 10 场比赛后，新加坡在阿塞拜疆巴库举行的首届国际足联 U15 世界杯暨足球节上，在 189 支球队中排名第 141 位。

10 月 30 日，小熊队在八人制比赛的最后一场比赛中以 4-1 击败了斯威士兰队，该比赛分为上下半场，每半场 20 分钟。

尽管未能达到前 90 名的目标，但新加坡 U-15 教练 Ashraf Ariffin 认为，这次比赛还是有一些积极因素值得总结，包括他们的“组织进攻和在三区推进”。

他补充道：“与此同时，我们也意识到自身存在需要改进的地方。在进攻端，我们需要在进攻三区更加高效，尤其是在创造和把握得分机会方面。”

“在防守方面，我们需要加强个人防守，并在对抗中展现出更大的强度、韧性和竞争力。”

新加坡队于 10 月 24 日开始了他们的资格赛阶段征程，在 P 组的前四场比赛中分别以 0-1 负于危地马拉，0-3 负于洪都拉斯，0-6 负于加拿大，0-6 负于几内亚，之后以 12-0 大胜美属萨摩亚，打破了不胜的局面。

在六支队伍中排名第五，比他们的目标低了两个名次，他们进入了锦标赛阶段倒数第二低的32支队伍组成的E级淘汰赛。

他们开局不错，以 9-0 大胜英属维尔京群岛，但在与孟加拉国 1-1 战平后，点球大战以 3-4 落败，随后又以 0-7 惨败于中国香港。

在以 8-3 战胜圣文森特和格林纳丁斯后，他们以战胜埃斯瓦蒂尼结束了本次锦标赛。

前锋阿德里安·阿尔菲安在开场仅 14 分钟后就梅开二度，他先是一记漂亮的半凌空抽射，随后又冷静地用右脚破门得分。最终，他以 10 个进球成为球队的最佳射手。

中场球员伊曼·纳基布小角度破门，将比分改写为3-0。下半场开场两分钟后，前锋基恩·萨西库马尔左脚劲射破门，打入他在本届赛事中的第七粒进球。比赛结束前七分钟，斯威士兰队扳回一球。

队长伊曼称在霍夫桑竞赛中心与这么多不同的球队一起比赛是一次“难忘的经历”。该中心是一个专门建造的设施，由 10 个全尺寸人造草皮球场重新配置成 68 米乘 48 米的球场组成。

他补充道：“比赛水平非常高，我们遇到了一些实力非常强劲的队伍，他们的技术和战术都非常出色。我们在每场比赛中都竭尽全力。”

“当然，我们希望取得更好的结果，但我认为这次经历将帮助我们了解作为一个团队，我们需要在哪些方面改进。”

“这次比赛让我明白了快速适应不同环境和挑战的重要性。我相信我从这次比赛中学到的经验教训不仅能帮助我成长为一名更优秀的足球运动员，也能帮助我成长为一个更好的人。”

阿什拉夫认为，每一次参加国际比赛的机会对球员的个人发展都很有价值，尤其是在他们必须走出舒适区的时候。

他补充道：“最终，我们的目标是培养出在心理和生理上都能更好地适应国际足球要求的球员，让他们未来能够为新加坡国家队做出贡献。像这样的经历是这一过程的重要组成部分，重要的是要从这些经验中汲取教训，继续前进。”

这支由 14 名球员组成的队伍包括 9 名来自狮城水手学院的球员、2 名来自“释放咆哮！”国家发展中心计划的球员、1 名来自新加坡体育学校的球员以及 2 名在西班牙训练的球员。

新加坡球员在参加国际足联U15世界杯暨足球节之前进行训练，最终在189支参赛队伍中排名第141位。图片：新加坡足球协会

新加坡球员在参加国际足联U15世界杯暨足球节之前进行训练，最终在189支参赛队伍中排名第141位。

西班牙队在7月份赢得了男子成年世界杯冠军，他们在青年组比赛中也展现出了同样的实力，以3-0击败捷克共和国，荣膺首届青年组比赛的冠军。

澳大利亚和韩国是亚足联仅有的两支小组第一的球队。澳大利亚队在争夺第23名的附加赛中0-2负于喀麦隆队，而韩国队3-1战胜肯尼亚队，最终排名第25位。

在东南亚球队中，马来西亚队表现最佳，排名第 56 位。他们在 H 组中排名第二，成为该地区唯一一支进入锦标赛 B 级的球队。

印度尼西亚（第 72 位）、泰国（第 77 位）和越南（第 82 位）进入前 100 名，而新加坡在该地区 11 支队伍中排名第七。

这项赛事并非毫无争议，德国拒绝参赛，其足协表示，对于处于这个发展阶段的球员来说，参加这样的赛事为时尚早。

另一方面，俄罗斯重返国际足联认可的赛事，最终排名第19位。尽管俄罗斯自2022年入侵乌克兰后一直受到禁赛，但针对年龄较大的组别，禁赛令仍然有效。作为回应，乌克兰选择不参赛。

在U15世界杯C组的一场小组赛中，英格兰队以1-4落后，随后因一名爱尔兰球员被指控发表种族歧视言论而退场。比赛最终被取消，英格兰队和爱尔兰队最终分别排名第57位和第21位。

然而，前阿森纳主教练、现任国际足联全球足球发展主管阿尔塞纳·温格称赞该赛事取得了成功。

他说：“我们看到许多小国与大国竞争，所以它们见面很重要，就像我告诉你们的那样，它们可以竞争。

“当你说‘给每个有天赋的人一个机会’时，关键在于机会。在这里，他们可以来到这里，尽情发挥，发现自己拥有在高水平赛场上立足所需的素质。”

2027 年的比赛将有女子队参赛，2028 年计划同时举办男子和女子比赛。

David Lee 是《海峡时报》的高级体育记者，主要报道水上运动、羽毛球、篮球、台球、足球和乒乓球。