Bibiano Fernandes names 14-player India U15 squad for FIFA U15 World Cup & Festival Azerbaijan 2026
India U15 head coach Bibiano Fernandes has announced a 14-player squad for the inaugural FIFA U15 World Cup & Festival Azerbaijan 2026, to be held in Baku from October 24 to 31. The Blue Colts will compete in Group K alongside Bahrain, Cameroon, Grenada, Laos and Senegal.
India prepared for the tournament with two friendly matches against Aspire Academy U15 in Doha last week; both matches ended 2-2 and Aspire Academy forms the core of the Qatar national team. After the Doha fixtures the team returned to Delhi and continued their training camp ahead of the trip to Azerbaijan.
The 14-player list comprises goalkeepers Dhannya Desai and Jenit Ningthoujam; defenders Birjit Singh Amom, Muhammad Sohil Khan, Nara Meitei Loushambam, Pratham Kumar and Soumojit Sarkar; midfielders C Lalhmingropuia, Deepak Singh Arambam, Nibash Meetei Wahengbam, R Lalremruatfela and Victor Lalawmpuia; and forwards Macdonnish Ngairangbam and Ronandev Aheibam. Head coach Bibiano Fernandes will be assisted by Surinder Singh, with Parshuram Salwadi as goalkeeping coach.
India’s Group K fixtures and match times at the Hovsan Competition Complex in Baku are: Laos vs India on October 24 at 11:45 IST on Pitch 1B; India vs Cameroon on October 25 at 10:30 IST on Pitch 1B; Grenada vs India on October 25 at 17:15 IST on Pitch 1B; Bahrain vs India on October 26 at 14:15 IST on Pitch 9A; and India vs Senegal on October 26 at 21:00 IST on Pitch 8A.
The tournament will feature 189 national teams divided into 32 groups with matches played in an 8-a-side format. A second phase will consist of six performance tiers based on qualification-stage results; every team will continue playing through to the final matchday, winners of each tier will be crowned, and the team that comes out on top in Tier A will be honoured as FIFA U15 World Cup & Festival 2026 champions.
On the squad and objectives Fernandes said, “Our main objective is to compete with courage, discipline and aggression, while giving every player the opportunity to perform at their highest level in the world. We want to give our best efforts to win every match and gain valuable international experience.” He added, “Selecting the final 14 was not easy, but we chose players who could contribute to the team and handle the demands of this historic tournament. The most special thing about this squad is the hunger to learn and the willingness to work hard.” On adapting to the event’s format Fernandes said, “We have focused on adapting our players to the demands of the 8v8 format — explosive decision-making and faster transitions between attack and defence. They need to understand their role and express themselves with confidence and creativity while contributing to the team’s intentions.”
The Indian contingent will arrive in Baku on the morning of October 21 and will play five qualification-stage matches over three days between October 24 and 26.