MUSCAT, OCT 27
Oman’s under-15 national football team concluded their qualification-stage campaign at the inaugural Fifa U15 World Cup and Festival 2026 on a positive note, defeating Chinese Taipei 4-2 before holding group winners Algeria to a thrilling 3-3 draw in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Monday.
The Young Reds came close to inflicting Algeria’s first defeat of the tournament after moving 3-2 ahead, but the North African side struck late to preserve their unbeaten record and finish at the top of Group B.
Oman became the first team to score against Algeria in the competition after the young Fennecs had registered four successive victories without conceding. Algeria had beaten Argentina 1-0, Suriname and Chinese Taipei by identical 5-0 scorelines and Malawi 4-0 before facing Oman.
The two results on Monday capped an encouraging qualification-stage campaign for the side coached by Nasser al Mayahi. Oman finished fourth in the group with seven points from five matches, having recorded two victories, one draw and two defeats. The Young Reds scored 13 goals and conceded the same number.
Algeria topped the standings with 13 points, followed by Argentina with 12 and Malawi with nine. Oman finished ahead of Chinese Taipei and Suriname to secure a place in Tier D for the tournament stage.
Oman opened their historic campaign with an emphatic 4-0 victory over Suriname. Al Yazan bin Talal al Rashdi scored twice, while Muadh bin Moosa al Muharrami and Ali bin Qasim al Habsi were also on target.
The Young Reds then suffered a 3-1 defeat against Malawi, with Al Habsi scoring Oman’s goal, before going down 5-1 to Argentina in their second match on Sunday.
OMAN BEAT TAIPEI
Facing two matches on the final day of the qualification stage, Oman responded strongly by defeating Chinese Taipei 4-2 in an entertaining contest. The national side made an explosive start, scoring three times inside the opening seven minutes before adding a fourth goal after the interval to secure their second victory of the tournament.
Later on Monday, Oman faced a demanding test against an Algerian side that had dominated the group. However, Al Mayahi’s players displayed confidence and resilience, finding the net three times and earning a deserved point from a closely contested encounter.
The performances against Chinese Taipei and Algeria provided a positive conclusion to the opening stage and demonstrated the players’ ability to respond after the defeats against Malawi and Argentina.
TIER D STAGE
Oman will now continue their campaign in Tier D alongside the other fourth-placed teams from the qualification groups. The tournament stage will follow a cross-elimination system, with winning teams facing other winners and defeated sides meeting teams with similar results.
Following Tuesday’s rest day, tournament-stage matches will take place on Wednesday and Thursday before the competition concludes on Friday.
The tournament features an eight-a-side format, with matches played over two halves of 20 minutes on reduced-size pitches. All participating teams continue into the second stage, providing the young players with further international matches and valuable competitive experience.
