South Africa U15 defeat UAE 5-1 at FIFA World Cup and Festival

South Africa’s U15 side returned to winning ways by beating the United Arab Emirates 5-1 at the 2026 FIFA U15 World Cup & Festival in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Thursday morning.

Inganathi Saliwa, Neo Dhlamini and Osas Asubaja were on target, while Bohlale Finger scored twice as South Africa produced a convincing performance in their latest fixture.

The result means Selekedi Mogale’s team will now face the winner of the match between Ivory Coast and South Sudan in the Tier B play-offs. The fixture will determine their position between 41st and 48th place at the tournament.

South Africa have enjoyed several strong results during the inaugural youth competition, despite dropping into Tier B after the group stage.

Mogale’s side finished second in their group behind Estonia after completing the phase with a notable victory over France. They also recorded emphatic wins against Anguilla and Maldives, beating the former 13-1 and the latter 8-0.

Their other group-stage results included a 2-1 defeat by Kosovo and a goalless draw with Estonia. Those results left South Africa in Tier B of the competition.

South Africa then advanced to the last 16 after a 6-2 victory over Malaysia. Their run was halted on Wednesday, however, when Portugal won 2-1 with a last-minute free-kick.

The defeat by Portugal ended their hopes of progressing further in the main knockout phase, but the tournament format ensures that every participating nation remains involved until the end.

As a result, the remaining matches will determine final positions rather than whether teams continue competing. South Africa’s immediate objective is now to secure the highest possible finish in the Tier B play-offs.