Kenya’s U-15 boys signed off from the inaugural FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival in Azerbaijan with their heads held high after finishing runners-up in Tier A, capping an eventful campaign with 27 goals.
The young Harambee Stars impressed in Baku, showcasing their attacking quality and resilience against teams from different footballing backgrounds in the October 24-30 tournament.
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Innocent Media led Kenya’s scoring charts with nine goals, followed by Lewis Wafula with six. Duncan Muyah and Silas Juma contributed four goals each, while Javan Ochieng scored twice. Bleza Barrack and Abdirahim Mohamed completed the scoring list with one goal apiece.
Kenya began their group-stage campaign with a 6-2 victory over Malta before beating Panama 5-1. They drew 2-2 against Macedonia and Niger before concluding the group phase with a 3-2 win over Chad.
Their knockout journey presented tougher challenges. After losing 4-0 to Poland and 4-1 to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the subsequent classification rounds, Kenya regrouped to beat Bulgaria 3-2 in the Tier A quarter-finals. They then produced an entertaining 4-3 victory over Algeria in the semi-finals to book their place in the final, where South Korea defeated them 3-1.
Despite missing out on the Tier A title, Kenya’s 27-goal return and runners-up finish provided valuable international exposure for the youngsters.
The inaugural competition brought together teams from FIFA member associations in a unique eight-a-side format designed to give young players regular competitive opportunities.
For Kenya, the experience in Azerbaijan marks another important step in developing the next generation of football talent.
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