India U15 overcome two equalising goals to secure a thrilling 4-2 victory in Baku, with four crucial qualification-stage matches still to come.

Kolkata, October 24: India’s U-15 boy’s began their FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival Azerbaijan 2026 campaign with a 4-2 comeback victory over Laos on Saturday morning, recovering from two equalising goals to secure all three points in their opening Group K fixture.

The Blue Colts, guided by Bibiano Fernandes, made a positive start to the inaugural tournament, which runs from October 24 to 31 in Baku. With five qualification-stage matches scheduled across three days, the opening result gives India an encouraging platform ahead of a demanding run of fixtures against Cameroon, Grenada, Bahrain and Senegal.

India U15 Respond to Laos’ Fightback:

Macdonnish Ngairangbam put India ahead in the 7th minute, giving the young side an early advantage. Laos responded through Anavin Xayyasone in the 12th minute to bring the score level.

India regained the lead through Lalenruatfela A in the 11th minute, however, Souksavanh Siliseng restored one goal for Laos in the 24th minute, leaving the contest finely balanced at 2-2.

India U15 found another gear in the closing stages of the first half. R. Lalenruatfela A scored his second goal in the 31st minute to put the Blue Colts ahead for the third time in the match. Soumojit Sarkar followed with a goal in the 33rd minute, extending India’s lead to 4-2.

The Indian side held on to their two-goal advantage to begin their tournament campaign with a win.

But Demanding Schedule Awaits the Blue Colts.

India U15’s participation in the tournament follows two friendly matches against Aspire Academy U-15 in Doha, both of which ended in 2-2 draws. The team continued preparations in Delhi before travelling to Azerbaijan.

The tournament features 189 national teams divided into 32 groups, with matches played in an eight-a-side format. Following the qualification stage, teams will be placed into six performance tiers based on their results, ensuring that every participating side continues competing through the final matchday. The winners of Tier A will be crowned FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival 2026 champions.

India U15 will next face Cameroon on October 25 at 10:30 IST, before taking on Grenada at 17:15 IST on the same day. The Blue Colts will then meet Bahrain on October 26 at 14:15 IST, followed by Senegal at 21:00 IST.

All of India’s matches are scheduled at the Hovsan Competition Complex in Baku, with live streaming available free on DAZN.

With four qualification-stage matches still to play, India will look to build on their opening victory and adapt to the demands of the eight-a-side format with fourty mintus of full time. For Bibiano and his young squad, the challenge now is to maintain their attacking confidence while continuing to gain valuable experience against international opposition.

The Blue Colts have made their first move in Baku. The coming two days will determine how strongly they can carry that momentum into the next phase of the tournament.

India U15’s Upcoming Fixtures:

October 25: India vs Cameroon, 10:30 IST
October 25: Grenada vs India, 17:15 IST
October 26: Bahrain vs India, 14:15 IST
October 26: India vs Senegal, 21:00 IST