Pakistan U15 World Cup Group Stage Ends Without a Win

Pakistan's U15 national team concluded the group stage of the FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival 2026 in Azerbaijan without a victory, recording three defeats and two draws from their five matches.

The young Shaheens finished their Group AD campaign with two points after holding Jordan and Nigeria to 1–1 draws on the final day, with striker Kaleemullah Khan Jr scoring both goals.

Pakistan Surrender Two-Goal Lead Against Gambia

Pakistan began their campaign on October 24 with a promising start against Gambia, racing into a 2–0 lead in the opening stages.

Ameer Hamza opened the scoring in the fifth minute, collecting the ball near the halfway line before driving towards the Gambian defence and firing a powerful strike past the goalkeeper.

Shortly afterwards, Bakhshi Hamal Khan doubled Pakistan's lead with an impressive finish into the top corner after Hamza won possession and helped create the opportunity.

However, Gambia pulled a goal back before half-time and equalised early in the second half. Pakistan attempted to regain control, with Kaleemullah Jr forcing several saves from the Gambian goalkeeper.

Gambia eventually completed the comeback with two more goals, securing a 4–2 victory despite trailing by two goals early in the match.

Pakistan Suffer Back-to-Back Defeats

Pakistan returned to action on October 25 for two matches, suffering a narrow 1–0 defeat against South Sudan before losing 4–0 to Cyprus.

The results left Pakistan without a point after their opening three fixtures, with two matches remaining against Jordan and Nigeria.

Kaleemullah Jr Scores Against Jordan and Nigeria

Pakistan finally secured their first point on October 26 with a 1–1 draw against Jordan, ending their three-match losing streak.

Kaleemullah Khan Jr scored Pakistan's only goal of the match, helping the young Shaheens avoid another defeat.

The striker, who plays for Turkish club Sarıyer SK, is the only overseas-based player in Pakistan's U15 squad. He joined the Turkish club earlier this year after previously impressing for Pakistan's youth national teams.

Watch Kaleemullah Jr's goal against Jordan below.

Later that day, Pakistan faced Nigeria in their fifth and final group-stage fixture.

Nigeria entered the match unbeaten, having drawn their opening three games before defeating Cyprus 2–1 earlier on Monday.

However, Pakistan managed to hold the African side to a 1–1 draw, with Kaleemullah Jr once again getting on the scoresheet.

The Turkey-based youngster scored both of Pakistan's goals on the final day, helping the team finish their group-stage campaign with consecutive draws.

Watch Kaleemullah Jr's goal against Nigeria below.

Pakistan's Group Stage Results

Pakistan finished their five group-stage matches with zero wins, two draws and three defeats, scoring four goals and conceding 11, leaving them with a goal difference of −7 and two points.

Pakistan's Tournament Continues

Despite finishing the group stage without a victory, Pakistan's participation in the tournament is not over.

Unlike a traditional World Cup, the FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival uses a tier-based format, with teams placed into different competitive levels according to their group-stage performances.

The next phase will take place on October 28 and 29, followed by the tier finals on October 30.

Pakistan will therefore have further opportunities to gain international experience against teams from around the world.