he South African U15 Boys National team went down 1-2 to Portugal in their Round of 16 – Tier B clash in the FIFA U15 Boys World Cup and Festival in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Wednesday.

Head Coach Selekedi’s charges will now face the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the quarterfinal battle for play-off positions between 41-48. Kickoff is at 08h15 South African time. UAE lost 3-2 to Iran who will now face Portugal.

With this inaugural youth tournament set up in such a way that every nation continues playing regardless of the outcome, the winner/loser between South Africa and UAE will take on the winner/loser between Ivory Coast and South Sudan in the semi-finals – the only difference will be the positions they are playing for.

Earlier in the day on Wednesday, South Africa was on fire as they defeated Malaysia 6-2 to set up the encounter against Portugal. So far, the South Africans have played seven matches, won four (Maldives 8-0, Anguilla 13-1, France 3-2, Malaysia 6-2), drew one (Estonia 0-0) and lost two (Kosovo 1-2, Portugal 1-2).

According to the world governing football body, the aim of the FIFA U15 Boys World Cup and Festival is to give young players from Associations with limited international opportunities meaningful matches against different styles and football cultures. In addition, it is to encourage member associations to continue investing in youth development.

This is the first edition in 2026 and it involves only boys, with the second instalment scheduled for 2027 for girls, while both genders will participate in separate competitions from 2028.