SINGAPORE – After playing 10 matches in seven days, Singapore emerged 141st out of 189 teams at the inaugural FIFA Under-15 World Cup and Festival in Baku, Azerbaijan.

The Cubs beat Eswatini 4-1 on Oct 30 in their final match of the eight-a-side competition played across 20-minute halves.

Despite falling short of their top-90 target, Singapore U-15 coach Ashraf Ariffin felt there were positives to take away from the campaign, including their “build-up play and progression through the thirds”.

He added: “At the same time, we recognise that there are areas where we need to improve. In attack, we need to be more effective in the final third, particularly in creating and converting goal-scoring opportunities.

“Defensively, we need to strengthen our individual defending and show greater intensity, resilience and competitiveness in our duels.”

Kicking off their qualification-stage campaign on Oct 24, Singapore lost their first four Group P games to Guatemala (1-0), Honduras (3-0), Canada (6-0) and Guinea (6-0), before breaking their duck with a 12-0 trouncing of American Samoa.

Finishing fifth out of the sextet, two spots below their target, they entered the Tier E knockout rounds for the second-lowest group of 32 teams in the tournament stage.

They got off to a good start by thumping the British Virgin Islands 9-0, but lost 4-3 to Bangladesh on penalties after a 1-1 draw, and were trounced 7-0 by Hong Kong.

After recovering to beat St Vincent and the Grenadines 8-3, they ended the tournament with victory against Eswatini.

Forward Adryan Alfian notched a brace after just 14 minutes with a delightful half-volley and a cool right-footed effort, as he finished as the team’s top scorer with 10 goals.

Midfielder Iman Naqib made it 3-0 from a tight angle before forward Kyen Sasikumar smashed in a left-footed shot two minutes after the restart for his seventh goal of the competition. Eswatini got a consolation goal seven minutes from time.

Skipper Iman called it an “unforgettable experience” to play alongside so many different teams at the Hovsan Competition Complex, a purpose-built facility comprising 10 full-sized astroturf fields reconfigured into 68m-by-48m pitches.

The 15-year-old added: “The standard of competition was really high, and we came up against some very strong teams that were technically and tactically very good. We gave our best in every match.

“Of course, we hoped for better results, but I think this experience will help us understand what we need to improve on as a team.

“It taught me how important it is to adapt quickly to different environments and challenges. I believe the lessons I’ve gained from this tournament will help me grow, not just as a footballer, but as a person too.”

Ashraf felt that every opportunity to compete internationally is valuable to the players’ individual development, especially when they have to get out of their comfort zones.

The 39-year-old added: “Ultimately, our aim is to develop players who are better prepared for the demands of international football, both mentally and physically, and can contribute to Singapore’s national teams in the future. Experiences like this are an important part of that journey, and what matters is building on these lessons moving forward. ”

The 14-strong squad comprised nine players from Lion City Sailors’ academy, two from the Unleash The Roar! National Development Centre programme, one from the Singapore Sports School and two players based in Spain.

Spain, who won the men’s senior World Cup in July, proved just as strong at youth level when they beat the Czech Republic 3-0 to be crowned the first champions of the competition.

Australia and South Korea were the only two teams from the Asian Football Confederation to top their groups. Australia lost 2-0 to Cameroon in the 23rd-place play-off, while South Korea beat Kenya 3-1 to finish 25th.

Among South-east Asian teams, Malaysia were the top performers at 56th after becoming the only team from the region to enter Tier B of the tournament stage by finishing second in Group H.

Indonesia (72nd), Thailand (77th) and Vietnam (82nd) finished in the top 100, while Singapore were seventh among the 11 sides from the region.

The tournament was not without controversy, as Germany declined to participate, with their football association stating that such a tournament is premature for players at this developmental stage.

On the other hand, Russia made a return to a FIFA-sanctioned event and finished 19th, although a ban that started in 2022 following its invasion of Ukraine remains for older age groups. In response, Ukraine chose not to participate.

During the event, England walked off the pitch at 4-1 down during a top-of-the-table Group C match after an Ireland player was alleged to have made racist remarks. The match was abandoned, and the two teams ultimately finished 57th and 21st, respectively.

Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, now FIFA’s chief of global football development, however, hailed the tournament as a success.

He said: “We have seen many smaller countries competing with the bigger countries, so that is important that they meet, and like I told you, they can compete.

“When you say, ‘Give every talent a chance’, it’s about opportunity. Here they can come, play and discover that they have the needed quality to exist at the top level.”

The 2027 edition will feature girls’ teams, with both boys’ and girls’ competitions planned for 2028.