A late double from Auckland United’s Finn Mason has earned New Zealand their first win at the inaugural FIFA U-15 Boys’ World Cup in Azerbaijan.
With two minutes to go in their third group game, New Zealand trailed Somalia 2-1 but Mason’s goals gave the New Zealanders a 3-2 victory.
In their previous group games, New Zealand had lost 5-0 to Venezuela and 4-3 to Madagascar.
New Zealand play bottom-placed Puerto Rico at 6pm (NZT) on Monday, and then wrap up their schedule with a match against Mozambique in the early hours of Tuesday (NZT).
The inaugural tournament and festival in Baku features 189 teams from FIFA’s member associations, providing international experience for young players from around the world.
The competition uses a modified format, with eight-a-side matches played on smaller pitches.
Games last 40 minutes, divided into two 20-minute halves, with rolling substitutions that allow coaches to rotate players and provide more playing time.
The event is designed to encourage player development and give young footballers experience of international competition.
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Results
Game played on Saturday October 24, 2026 (NZT)
Group T
New Zealand 0
Venezuela 5 (Eduardo Medina 13′, Kendri Lopez 18′, Diego Romero 20′, Antonio Teran 37′, Fabrizio Scala 39′)
Game played on Sunday October 25, 2026 (NZT)
Madagascar 4 (Mendrika Randriamanantena 7′, 22′, Toky Razafiarimanana, Riciano Fenozama 34′)
New Zealand 3 (Xzavier Kumar 18′, Jacob Choi 24′, Finn Mason 40+1′)
Game played on Monday October 26, 2026 (NZT)
New Zealand 3 (Kieran McMahon 17′, Finn Mason 38′, 40′)
Somalia 2 (Abdullahi Mohamed 24′, Ibrahim Omar 34′)
FIFA U-15 Boys’ World Cup Group T
Team
P
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
Madagascar
3
3
0
0
10
6
4
9
Venezuela
3
2
1
0
11
2
9
7
Mozambique
3
1
1
1
7
8
-1
4
Somalia
3
1
0
2
6
9
-3
3
New Zealand
3
1
0
2
6
11
-5
3
Puerto Rico
3
0
0
3
9
13
-4
0
Fixtures
Game to be played on Monday October 26, 2026 (NZT)
Puerto Rico v New Zealand
Hovsan Competition Complex, Baku, 6pm (NZT)
Game to be played on Tuesday October 27, 2026 (NZT)
New Zealand v Mozambique
Hovsan Competition Complex, Baku, 12.45am (NZT)
This story was first published on October 26, 2026.