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India national under-15 football team

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India U-15
Shirt badge/Association crest
NicknameThe Blue Colts[1]
AssociationAll India Football Federation (AIFF)
ConfederationAFC (Asia)
Sub-confederationSAFF (South Asia)
Head coachBibiano Fernandes
FIFA codeIND
First colours
Second colours
Biggest win
 India 9–0 Maldives 
(Kathmandu, Nepal; 19 August 2017)[a][2]
Biggest defeat
 Pakistan 2–1 India 
(Lalitpur, Nepal; 25 October 2018)[a][3]
SAFF U-15 Championship
Appearances3 (first in 2017)
Best resultChampions (2017, 2019)
Medal record
SAFF U-15 Championship
Gold medal – first place2017 Nepal
Gold medal – first place2019 India
Bronze medal – third place2018 Nepal

The India national under-15 football team, also referred to as India U-15, represents India in international association football at the under-15 level. It is controlled by the All India Football Federation (AIFF), the governing body for football in India, which is a member of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and of the regional South Asian Football Federation (SAFF).[4][5]

The AIFF describes the under-15 side as a preparatory step in its youth pathway, with the team eligible for the SAFF regional under-15 competition and for invitational age-group tournaments, and with the age group feeding into the under-17 side that contests AFC U-17 Asian Cup qualification.[5] The team won the 2017 and 2019 editions of the SAFF regional championship, which were staged at under-15 level.[6][7] In 2026 it was entered for the inaugural FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival in Azerbaijan.[8]

History

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SAFF U-15 Championship

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The SAFF regional youth championship for boys was launched in 2011 as the SAFF U-16 Championship. For the 2017 edition it was restaged as an under-15 competition so that member associations would be better prepared for the AFC U-16 Championship qualifiers held later that year, and it remained an under-15 tournament for the 2018 and 2019 editions before reverting to under-17 in 2022.[2]

2017

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India, coached by Bibiano Fernandes, won all four of its matches at the 2017 tournament in Nepal. It opened with a 9–0 win over the Maldives on 19 August and then beat hosts Nepal 2–1 to reach the semi-finals, where Bhutan were beaten 3–0.[2] In the final at the ANFA Complex in Lalitpur on 27 August, India came from a goal down to beat Nepal 2–1 through strikes by Lalrokima and captain Vikram Pratap Singh, taking the title with 16 goals scored and two conceded.[6][9] Vikram Pratap Singh was named the tournament's best player.[9]

2018

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At the 2018 edition in Nepal, coached by Shuvendu Panda, India lost its opening group match 2–1 to Pakistan on 25 October.[3][10] A 4–0 win over Bhutan on 29 October, with a brace from Shubho Paul and goals from Subba Kushang and Xalxo Aman, secured a semi-final place.[11] In the semi-final on 1 November, Harsh Patra's 17th-minute strike was cancelled out by a 93rd-minute Bangladesh penalty and India lost the resulting shoot-out 4–2.[12][3] India took third place on 3 November with a 1–0 win over Nepal, Thlacheu Vanlalruatfela scoring in the 18th minute.[13]

2019

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India hosted the 2019 edition at Kalyani Stadium in West Bengal and won it without conceding a goal. In the five-team round-robin phase India beat Nepal 5–0, Bhutan 7–0, Sri Lanka 5–0 and defending champions Bangladesh 4–0 to finish top of the table.[14][15] In the final on 31 August, Fernandes's side beat Nepal 7–0, Sridarth Nongmeikapam scoring a hat-trick and Maheson Singh Tongbram, Amandeep, Sibajit Singh and Himanshu Jangra adding one each. India finished the tournament with 28 goals from five matches and no goals conceded; Himanshu Jangra was the leading scorer with seven.[7]

FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival

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In December 2025 the FIFA Council approved the creation of a U-15 tournament for boys and girls, and on 24 June 2026 the Bureau of the Council appointed Azerbaijan as host of the inaugural FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival, to be held from 22 to 31 October 2026 and open to boys' teams from all FIFA member associations.[16] There is no qualifying competition; India was invited as a member association and the AIFF confirmed its entry.[17][8]

The competition is a development-focused event rather than a conventional knockout tournament. Matches are played eight-a-side on a 68 m × 50 m pitch over two 20-minute halves, with unlimited rolling substitutions, kick-ins instead of throw-ins, offside applied only within the attacking third, and two referees. Squads are limited to 14 players, including at least two goalkeepers, and players must have been born in 2011 or 2012. A round-robin qualification stage is followed by a tournament stage in which teams are matched against sides that finished in the same group position, with no team eliminated.[17] Each participating delegation is limited to 20 members, comprising 14 players and six staff.[8]

Preparation

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Ahead of the tournament the AIFF conducted a nationwide scouting programme in which around 60 scouts assessed roughly 12,000 players born in 2011 and 2012 across more than 20 competitions, with 365 players called to central trials.[18] A national camp opened at the Centre for Sports Excellence in Bengaluru on 16 August 2026 under Fernandes, with players invited in batches and those not retained released to their clubs and academies.[1]

On 8 September 2026 the AIFF announced a programme of 13 international friendlies to be staged in India between 25 September and 11 October 2026, subject to government clearance for the visiting teams' travel. The under-15 team was scheduled to play Iran in Bengaluru on 28, 29 and 30 September and Uzbekistan in Bengaluru on 8, 9 and 10 October.[19]

Group and fixtures

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India was drawn in Group K of the qualification stage alongside Bahrain, Cameroon, Grenada, Laos and Senegal. According to the AIFF, India's matches are to be played at the Hovsan Competition Complex in Baku, with the squad arriving on 22 October, training on 23 October, contesting the qualification stage from 24 to 26 October, resting on 27 October, playing the tournament stage on 28 and 29 October and the tier finals on 30 October.[b][20]

Recent results and fixtures

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Matches in the last 12 months, and future scheduled matches

Legend

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixture

2026

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28 September 2026 (2026-09-28) Friendly India  v  Iran Bengaluru, India
Report
29 September 2026 (2026-09-29) Friendly India  v  Iran Bengaluru, India
Report
30 September 2026 (2026-09-30) Friendly India  v  Iran Bengaluru, India
Report
8 October 2026 (2026-10-08) Friendly India  v  Uzbekistan Bengaluru, India
Report
9 October 2026 (2026-10-09) Friendly India  v  Uzbekistan Bengaluru, India
Report
10 October 2026 (2026-10-10) Friendly India  v  Uzbekistan Bengaluru, India
Report
24 October 2026 (2026-10-24) 2026 FIFA U15 WC&F QS Laos  v  India Baku, Azerbaijan
11:45 IST Report Stadium: Hovsan Competition Complex (Pitch 1B)
25 October 2026 (2026-10-25) 2026 FIFA U15 WC&F QS India  v  Cameroon Baku, Azerbaijan
10:30 IST Report Stadium: Hovsan Competition Complex (Pitch 1B)
25 October 2026 (2026-10-25) 2026 FIFA U15 WC&F QS Grenada  v  India Baku, Azerbaijan
17:15 IST Report Stadium: Hovsan Competition Complex (Pitch 1B)
26 October 2026 (2026-10-26) 2026 FIFA U15 WC&F QS Bahrain  v  India Baku, Azerbaijan
14:15 IST Report Stadium: Hovsan Competition Complex (Pitch 9A)
26 October 2026 (2026-10-26) 2026 FIFA U15 WC&F QS India  v  Senegal Baku, Azerbaijan
21:00 IST Report Stadium: Hovsan Competition Complex (Pitch 8A)
Friendly fixtures sourced from the AIFF;[19] FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival fixtures[4], kick-off times (IST) and pitch allocations from the AIFF's official announcement.[20]

Coaching staff

[edit]
As of September 2026
PositionName
Head coachIndia Bibiano Fernandes[1]
Assistant coachIndia Surinder Singh[1]

The AIFF Executive Committee approved Fernandes's appointment as head coach on 6 August 2026 on the recommendation of the AIFF Technical Committee, subject to his acceptance, and at the same meeting approved Ranjit Bajaj as team manager.[8][21] The two appointments were followed by a public disagreement over the division of roles, which was reported in August 2026 as having been resolved with both men taking up the positions.[22][23] Fernandes signed his contract and took charge of the squad when the national camp began on 16 August 2026, with Surinder Singh named as his assistant.[1]

Fernandes first led an India under-15 side in 2017 and has since worked across the country's youth age groups, guiding India to the SAFF U-15 title in 2017 and 2019, the SAFF U-17 title in 2022 and 2025, the SAFF U-19 title in 2025, and to qualification for the AFC U-17 Asian Cup in 2018, 2020, 2023 and 2026.[1] At the 2018 edition India reached the quarter-finals.[1]

Competitive record

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Red border indicates the tournament was hosted on home soil. Gold and bronze backgrounds indicate first and third-place finishes respectively.

SAFF U-15 Championship

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Only the 2017, 2018 and 2019 editions of the SAFF regional youth championship were contested at under-15 level.[2]

SAFF U-15 Championship record
Host/Year Result Position Pld W D* L GF GA GD
Nepal 2017Champions1st4400162+14
Nepal 2018Third place3rd421173+4
India 2019Champions1st5500280+28
Total3/32 Titles131111515+46
*Drawn includes knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival

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FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival record
YearHostResultRef
2026Azerbaijan AzerbaijanEntered; Group K[8][20]

Notes

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  1. 1 2 Based on India's matches at the under-15 editions of the SAFF regional championship, the team's only documented competitive tournament appearances at this age level. Results of closed-door and unreported friendly matches are not included.
  2. ↑ FIFA has stated that the tournament as a whole runs from 22 to 31 October 2026. The dates given in this section are those published by the AIFF for India's own arrival, matches and schedule, and end on 30 October.

References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Extensive nationwide scouting sets stage for Bibiano Fernandes-led U15 men's camp". the-aiff.com. All India Football Federation. 16 August 2026. Retrieved 17 September 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "SAFF U-15 Championship 2017: India Colts beat Nepal to be crowned champions". Goal.com. 27 August 2017. Retrieved 17 September 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "SAFF U15 Championship: Pakistan beat Nepal, enter final against Bangladesh". The Express Tribune. 1 November 2018. Retrieved 17 September 2026.
  4. 1 2 "India drawn with Bahrain, Cameroon, Grenada, Laos, Senegal in FIFA U15 World Cup & Festival 2026". www.the-aiff.com. Retrieved 17 September 2026.
  5. 1 2 "U15 Men". the-aiff.com. All India Football Federation. Retrieved 17 September 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 "India are SAFF U-15 champions". the-aiff.com. All India Football Federation. 27 August 2017. Retrieved 17 September 2026.
  7. 1 2 3 "With 28 goals in 5 games, India lift SAFF U-15 title". the-aiff.com. All India Football Federation. 31 August 2019. Retrieved 17 September 2026.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 "AIFF holds Executive Committee meeting at Football House". the-aiff.com. All India Football Federation. 6 August 2026. Retrieved 17 September 2026.
  9. 1 2 "India win SAFF U-15 Championship; beat Nepal 2-1". DD News. 27 August 2017. Retrieved 17 September 2026.
  10. ↑ "Indian U-15s confident ahead of clash against Bhutan". the-aiff.com. All India Football Federation. 28 October 2018. Retrieved 17 September 2026.
  11. 1 2 "Clinical India U-15 boys romp into SAFF U-15 semi-finals". the-aiff.com. All India Football Federation. 29 October 2018. Retrieved 17 September 2026.
  12. 1 2 "India U-15 boys prepared for SAFF semifinal against Bangladesh". the-aiff.com. All India Football Federation. 31 October 2018. Retrieved 17 September 2026.
  13. 1 2 "India beat Nepal by solitary goal in SAFF U-15 Championship". the-aiff.com. All India Football Federation. 3 November 2018. Retrieved 17 September 2026.
  14. 1 2 3 4 "India thump Nepal in SAFF U-15 final". The Kathmandu Post. 1 September 2019. Retrieved 17 September 2026.
  15. 1 2 "India, Nepal book spots in 2019 U-15 SAFF Championship finals". the-aiff.com. All India Football Federation. 29 August 2019. Retrieved 17 September 2026.
  16. ↑ "Bureau of the Council appoints Azerbaijan as host of FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival 2026". FIFA. 24 June 2026. Retrieved 17 September 2026.
  17. 1 2 Negi, Ashish (20 July 2026). "Explained: FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival — Format, rules, qualification & what India can learn". Khel Now. Retrieved 17 September 2026.
  18. ↑ "Inside India's U15 football camp: how AIFF scouted 12,000 young talents for the 2026 FIFA U-15 World Cup in Azerbaijan". Open. August 2026. Retrieved 17 September 2026.
  19. 1 2 "13 friendlies, seven nations: AIFF announces massive international football schedule for India". The Tribune. ANI. 8 September 2026. Retrieved 17 September 2026.
  20. 1 2 3 All India Football Federation [@IndianFootball] (17 September 2026). "FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival 2026: India's group, fixtures and schedule" (Tweet). Retrieved 17 September 2026 – via X (formerly Twitter).
  21. ↑ Rangankar, Amertha (7 August 2026). "Minerva FC owner Ranjit Bajaj appointed India Under-15 football team manager for inaugural FIFA U-15 World Cup 2026". The Free Press Journal. Retrieved 17 September 2026.
  22. ↑ Santhosh, Aswathy (8 August 2026). "Ranjit Bajaj wants to talk tactics. But who exactly is the coach here?". The Bridge. Retrieved 17 September 2026.
  23. ↑ "Bibiano and Bajaj: a compromise that now needs a united front". RevSportz. August 2026. Retrieved 17 September 2026.
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