A World Cup With 211 Teams? FIFA Explored New U-15 Football Festival Before Dropping Private Investment Plans

· Free Press Journal

Imagine a football tournament where every FIFA member gets a place. No qualifiers. No early exits. No country left out.

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That was the idea behind a proposed FIFA Under-15 'World Cup' that could have brought together all 211 FIFA member nations in a youth football festival inspired by baseball's famous Little League World Series, as per reports from the New York Times.

But there was another big idea behind the tournament - money.

The Plan: 211 Teams, One Giant Youth Festival

FIFA had explored bringing private investors into the project and turning the U-15 tournament into a major global sporting event.

The proposed format was different from the senior World Cup. Matches would be shorter and played on smaller pitches. The tournament could have had 32 groups of six or seven teams, allowing all 211 FIFA members to take part.

The first edition was planned for boys, with a separate girls' tournament expected to follow in 2027.

From Young Players To Global Business

As per reports, the tournament was not only seen as a youth development project. Businessman Juan Carlos Rodriguez and Eldridge Industries, founded by Chelsea chairman and Los Angeles Dodgers co-owner Todd Boehly, worked on a commercial proposal. ESPN was also approached over broadcasting the event in the US.

Orlando was considered as a possible host, with the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex and even Disney theme parks discussed for parts of the event.

The long-term vision was simple: build a youth tournament that could grow into a major global sports property.

Countries that rarely reach the senior World Cup could have had a much bigger role, while clubs could also get a closer look at promising young players.

Why Did The Plan Stop?

According to reports from NY Times, a formal proposal was submitted to FIFA and initially received encouragement. However, shortly before the 2026 Men's World Cup, the plan was shelved.

There were also questions about FIFA's wider discussions with private investors over a possible stake in its commercial and event operations.

FIFA has not publicly explained whether those talks played a role in dropping the private investment plan for the U-15 event.

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The Tournament Is Still Happening

The commercial plan may have disappeared, but FIFA's U-15 project has not.

FIFA announced in December 2025 that it wanted to create a new global youth competition. On June 24, it confirmed that Baku in Azerbaijan would host the tournament.

FIFA said Azerbaijan was chosen because it has the infrastructure needed to accommodate thousands of young players and support staff in one location.

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So, while the idea of turning the U-15 event into a huge privately backed sports property has been put aside for now, FIFA still wants the competition to become something much bigger than a normal youth tournament.

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