Maldives Junior National Team Makes History with First World Cup Victory

The Maldives junior national football team has made history by securing its first-ever World Cup victory, defeating the British Virgin Islands 2-0 in the final match of the FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival 2026 held in Azerbaijan. Under the guidance of coach Ahmed Shakir (Shakitty), the team finished the massive tournament involving 189 countries at rank 159. In the group stage, the Maldives was placed in a strong group, playing five matches against South Africa, France, Estonia, Kosovo, and Anguilla. While they lost most matches, the match against Anguilla ended in a 3-3 draw. The historic victory against the British Virgin Islands in the final ranking match after the group stage is seen as a significant boost for the future of Maldivian youth football. This inaugural edition of the tournament, approved by the FIFA Council last December, was designed to give every FIFA member country the opportunity to participate in a world-level major tournament. This year's edition featured only boys' teams, while next year's edition will be dedicated to girls' teams. FIFA has also planned to hold separate tournaments for boys and girls annually starting from 2028.