Home / Sports / Russia's Young Soccer Stars Back on Global Stage
Russia's Young Soccer Stars Back on Global Stage
18 Sep
Summary
- Russia returns to international soccer for the U-15 World Cup festival.
- The tournament is the first event Russia has been invited to since 2022.
- Azerbaijan will host the inaugural U-15 World Cup festival next month.
Russia has been included in the draw for the boys' Under-15 World Cup festival, signaling a partial return to international soccer. This participation comes after a ban imposed by FIFA and UEFA following the full military invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Russia was invited to the under-15 tournament last December, the first such invitation since the ban. In the draw, Russia was placed in a group with Turkey, Afghanistan, Djibouti, Sierra Leone, and Sudan for the inaugural tournament. This event will be hosted in Azerbaijan next month.
The FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival aims to provide meaningful competitive opportunities, especially for smaller nations. The games will feature eight-a-side teams playing 20-minute halves on smaller fields. FIFA plans for both boys' and girls' Under-15 World Cups to become annual events from 2028.
