India U15 football team suffered a 1-2 defeat to Afghanistan in the quarter-final for positions 81 to 88 at the FIFA U15 World Cup and Festival Azerbaijan 2026, played at the Hovsan Competition Complex Pitch 1A in Baku on Thursday. The India U15 football side created chances early in the match but fell behind to goals from Mohammad Mustafa in the 15th minute and Shahzada Sultani in the 27th minute. Nibas Meetei Wahengbam pulled a goal back in the second half, but India could not find an equaliser before the final whistle.
The match began with India on the front foot, and the early exchanges suggested the side coached for this tournament could take control. Afghanistan, however, scored against the run of play. Sultani delivered a cross from the left, and Mustafa escaped the marking of Birjit Singh Amom before connecting with a right footed volley to give Afghanistan the lead. The goal changed the shape of the first half, and Afghanistan doubled their advantage 12 minutes later when Sultani scored to make it 2-0. India went into the break two goals down, despite having made the brighter start to the game.
India U15 football fightback after the break
The India U15 football team came back into the match in the second half. Nibas Meetei Wahengbam scored to reduce the deficit, with reports putting his goal in the 36th minute, and the goal gave India fresh belief as they pushed for an equaliser. India pressed forward in the closing stages, but Afghanistan held their shape at the back and kept the lead intact. The final whistle confirmed a 1-2 defeat for India, and the result sent Afghanistan through while India moved into the next round of matches for the lower positions in the tournament.
The India U15 football team will next face Kazakhstan in the semi-final for positions 85 to 88, a match scheduled for later on Thursday at 7:45 pm IST. Kazakhstan reached that stage after losing their own quarter-final to Hungary, so both sides arrived at the match looking to finish the tournament as strongly as possible. The format of the FIFA U15 World Cup and Festival places teams in matches for positions once they are out of contention for the main honours, and those games still carry ranking and development value for squads made up of players at the start of their international careers.
India U15 football tournament so far in Baku
The India U15 football campaign in Baku had already included a defeat to Honduras in an earlier match in the tournament, a result reported on 28 October. The loss to Afghanistan was therefore the second setback of the week for the side, and it underlined how fine the margins are at this level, where one lapse in marking or one counter attack can decide a match. India had chances in both halves against Afghanistan, but the two first half goals proved too much to overturn, even after Wahengbam’s second half strike.
Afghanistan’s goals both came from open play, and both exposed moments when India lost their defensive shape. Mustafa’s volley followed a cross from the left that found him free of his marker, while Sultani’s goal 12 minutes later gave Afghanistan a cushion that allowed them to sit deeper and defend in numbers. India, chasing the game, had to commit more players forward, and that left space behind them that Afghanistan could use on the counter. The balance of the match shifted after the second goal, and India spent much of the second half trying to break down a side that was content to protect its lead.
India U15 football: what the defeat means next
The India U15 football team will now turn to the match against Kazakhstan, where a win would put them into a further placement match and give the squad a positive result to take from the trip to Baku. Youth tournaments of this kind are used to test players against varied styles, and Afghanistan’s direct approach in the first half offered a clear lesson in how quickly a match can turn. The India U15 football side created the first chances, but the goals went to the side that took theirs, and that difference decided the quarter-final.
For the players involved, the tournament in Baku remains a chance to gain international experience at under 15 level, and the remaining matches will decide where India finish in the final standings for positions 81 to 88. The defeat to Afghanistan closed one route through the tournament, but the match against Kazakhstan, scheduled for 7:45 pm IST on Thursday, gives India an immediate chance to respond. The result in Baku on Thursday was Afghanistan 2, India 1, with Mustafa and Sultani scoring for Afghanistan and Wahengbam scoring for India.