Lesotho Football Association Lesotho will be among 189 countries at the inaugural FIFA U15 World Cup & Festival 2026 in Azerbaijan, with a 14-boy squad set to become the country’s first ever team to grace football’s biggest stage.
The Lesotho U15 Boys, made up of players born in 2011 and 2012, will open their historic campaign against Latvia on October 24th in Group I, which also includes Bulgaria, Gabon and Scotland.
This will be the first time Lesotho plays in any FIFA World Cup tournament at any level, marking a massive milestone for the Lesotho Football Association’s development programme centred at the LeFA Academy.
In line with the decision taken by the FIFA Council in December 2025, the competition is open to all FIFA Member Associations. Nearly 190 of the 211 members have confirmed participation, bringing together over 3,000 young players, coaches and officials.
According to FIFA, Baku will stage almost 1,000 matches across two venues – the Complex for the group and qualification stages and Baku Crystal Hall for the tier finals and opening events.
FIFA Chief of Global Football Development, Arsène Wenger, emphasized the tournament’s transformative potential:
“Talent exists everywhere, but young players do not always have the same opportunities to test themselves internationally. This tournament is about providing them with that opportunity. By bringing teams from across the world together at U-15 level, we can give players meaningful matches, expose them to different styles and football cultures, and help them learn and develop through competition.”
Wenger added: “Football can truly unite the world in a very powerful way at youth level. Bringing young players together from different countries and cultures gives them an experience that goes beyond competition, while also encouraging Member Associations to continue investing in their development.”
The first girls’ tournament is scheduled for 2027, with both tournaments planned to take place annually from 2028.
Innovative Format
The competition will feature an innovative format designed for development:
– Format: 8v8 structure played on reduced-size pitches (68m x 47m) with full-size goals.
– Match Duration: Two 20-minute halves.
– Elimination: No teams are eliminated. The event uses a two-phase system – a round-robin qualification stage followed by a placement stage divided into six performance tiers.
– Games: Each team will play roughly 8 to 10 matches total across the festival
Lesotho’s Preparation
To fine-tune preparations, Lesotho recently faced Eswatini U15 in four friendly matches. Lesotho won the opener 5-1, lost the second 1-4, drew 3-3 and won 4-3 on penalties in the third, and lost 0-2 in the final match.
The Lesotho U15 Boys were also in Johannesburg on Wednesday, where they played two friendly matches against Kaizer Chiefs U15, which resulted in a 1-1 draw and a goalless draw as part of their final preparations before departing for Azerbaijan.
FIFA Talent Coach Sam Smith, who has been in charge of the Academy since last year, said: “It is an amazing opportunity for the players, the coaches, and for the association.
“It will be a chance for the players to compete at international level at a young age. Hopefully, it will be a formative experience in their development and it can help them understand where they stand in comparison to their peers around the world, what they are doing well, and which areas to focus on moving forward.
“This is a life-changing opportunity for the boys in the academy as it will be their first time flying and playing in such a big tournament, which we hope they will replicate one day for the Lesotho senior national team.”
The LeFA Academy coach is confident that the experience will help the young boys to dream big and one day return to the World Cup stage as Likuena players.
“In the long-term, we want them to be prepared to return to this international stage later in their careers, maybe one day with Likuena,” Smith said.
“There is obviously a lot of excitement in the camp about the tournament. For most of the players and staff, this will be one of their first experiences travelling overseas, flying, and being so far from home. So, we are working on preparing and sensitizing the players to what it will look and feel like.
“The aim is for the players to acclimatize as quickly as possible and feel comfortable so that they can give their best on the pitch, for themselves and for Lesotho,” he said.
“Our recent trips to South Africa for friendly matches, as well as hosting Eswatini, have given the players a first taste of international football. Even within individual games, we have seen the team grow and compete well. I expect the tournament will give them a similar challenge and journey.
“The tournament is structured to ensure that all teams play a good number of games against a wide variety of opposition from across the globe. Personally, I want the players to showcase their individual and collective qualities, embrace the experience, and express themselves fully, without feeling burdened by expectations or objectives.”
No one is prouder of this milestone than Mohaila Letseka, the man tasked by the Lesotho Football Association to be the Talent Development Scheme Project Lead when LeFA rolled out the programme in 2023.
“Of course, we are happy to be where we are, to say we see the light at the end of the tunnel, but a lot of work lies ahead. We are grateful for the support received from FIFA from when we launched this programme, going through its different phases, which eventually led to us having the Academy and bringing in Talent Coach Sam Smith.
“A lot of patience was required and we also appreciate the support from the Association, the parents and all stakeholders for the progress made. But like I said, there is still a lot that needs to be done and going to the World Cup doesn’t mean we are there already,” Letseka said.
