India colts start on a winning note in Under-15 FIFA World Cup in Baku

Bibiano Fernandes's India began their campaign at the inaugural FIFA Under-15 World Cup & Festival Azerbaijan 2026 with a 4-2 victory over Laos in their Group K opener at the Hovsan Competition Complex in Baku on Saturday.

Captain Macdonnish Ngairangbam and R Lalremruatfela handed the Blue Colts an early two-goal advantage before Anavin Xayyasone reduced the deficit for Laos. Souksavanh Siliseng equalised for the Southeast Asians soon after half-time, but India finished strong with Lalremruatfela and Soumojit Sarkar firing from long range to restore the lead.

The win, interestingly enough, secured the nation's first three points at a FIFA tournament. The tournament features 189 national teams, divided into 32 groups, with matches played in an eight-a-side format. Each match consists of two 20-minute halves with rolling substitutions permitted.

Fernandes' colts made a bright start on Saturday morning and created two chances in the opening four minutes. They took the lead in the seventh minute after brilliant footwork from Deepak, who worked his way into the small box before cutting the ball back for Macdonnish to tap home.

The pressure continued to pay off, with India doubling their advantage in the 11th minute. A Laos clearance was blocked by Deepak, and the ball fell to R Lalremruatfela, who took a touch before slamming home with his left boot.

India will next face Cameroon tomorrow (Sunday, 25th October) in the morning before taking on Grenada later the same day in the evening. They will conclude the qualification stage against Bahrain and Senegal on Monday - and their results across five matches will determine which performance tier they make the cut for the second phase. All matches are streamed live for free on dazn.com.