Afghanistan U-15 Suffer 8–0 Defeat Against Russia at FIFA Festival
Afghanistan's under-15 national football team suffered an 8–0 defeat against Russia at the FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival in Azerbaijan. The result followed Afghanistan's earlier victories over Sierra Leone and Djibouti and a defeat against Türkiye.
Afghanistan's under-15 national football team suffered an 8–0 defeat against Russia on Monday, 26 October, at the FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival 2026 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
The Russian side controlled the match and scored eight unanswered goals at the Hovsan competition venue.
Ilya Khrabry scored a hat-trick for Russia, while Matvey Rodionov contributed two goals. Anatoly Tsimin, Matvey Abdulkhalikov and Yegor Lyusin also scored.
Afghanistan's tournament campaign
Afghanistan began the competition with a 2–1 victory over Sierra Leone and followed it with a 3–2 win against Djibouti.
The Afghan youngsters then suffered a defeat against Türkiye before facing Russia in their fourth group match.
Russia, meanwhile, recorded their fourth consecutive victory in the competition following earlier wins over Sudan, Sierra Leone and Djibouti.
The FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival is taking place in Azerbaijan from 24 to 30 October, bringing together teams from 189 FIFA member associations.
Matches are played with eight players per side, with two 20-minute halves, as part of FIFA's youth football development programme.
