The Maldives under-15 boys' team is competing at the first FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival in Baku, Azerbaijan, with South Africa named as its opening opponent.
The Football Association of Maldives (FAM) said the side was scheduled to face South Africa on 24 October in its first qualification-stage match. The Maldives' group also includes France, Estonia and Kosovo, according to FAM.
The result of the opening match had not been published by FIFA or FAM at the time of writing.
A new FIFA youth event
FIFA said the tournament, open to boys' teams from all its member associations, is being played from 24 to 30 October, mainly at the Hovsan Competition Complex in Baku. The tier finals are set for 30 October at the Crystal Hall.
Matches are eight-a-side with two 20-minute halves, played on a 68 by 47 metre pitch with full-size goals. Players must be born in 2011 or 2012, and each squad has 14 players and up to six staff, FIFA said.
Nearly 1,000 matches are planned over six matchdays, with up to 20 games running at the same time across several pitches.
How the tiers work
Each team plays four or five round-robin matches in the qualification stage. Based on those results, teams are placed into one of six performance tiers for the tournament stage, where they play four or five more matches.
FIFA said every team plays through to the final matchday, with a winner crowned in each tier. The Tier A winner will be champion of the FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival.
A girls' edition is planned for 2027, and FIFA intends to hold boys' and girls' tournaments every year from 2028.