Algeria reach U15 World Cup League A as Cote d’Ivoire drop into League B

Algeria secured a place in League A of the U15 World Cup despite being held to a 3-3 draw by Oman in their final group-stage match in Hovsan, Azerbaijan.

The result ended Algeria’s hopes of completing a perfect first round, but the Fennecs remained unbeaten and finished top of Group B with 13 points from a possible 15. Their reward is a place in the competition’s League A, where they will compete for the first-ever U15 world title.

Algeria had begun the final day with four victories from four matches. They defeated Argentina 1-0 on Saturday before recording wins over Suriname 5-0 and Taiwan 5-0 on Sunday. They then beat Malawi 4-0 earlier on Monday, but were unable to maintain that sequence against Oman.

Abdelkarim Meharzi, who plays for Olympique Akbou and is Algeria’s leading scorer in the tournament, scored once against Oman. The goal took his total to nine in the competition.

The draw was enough to preserve Algeria’s unbeaten record and confirm their position at the top of the group. They will now move on to the decisive League A phase with the opportunity to claim the inaugural U15 World Cup championship.

Cote d’Ivoire, meanwhile, suffered a costly defeat in the final match of Group Y and were relegated to League B.

The Elephanteaux were beaten 2-0 by Albania in the group decider, ending their own flawless run. Before that loss, Gnamin Souh Kouame Matiriel’s side had defeated Rwanda 5-0, the Turks and Caicos Islands 6-0, Vanuatu 11-0 and Mauritania 5-0.

That result leaves Cote d’Ivoire unable to challenge for a historic title. At best, they can now compete for 33rd place in the tournament through League B.