Pakistan U-15s Draw Jordan, Nigeria to End Baku Group Stage

Pakistan's young Shaheens finally have points on the board at a FIFA World Cup. On Monday, October 26, 2026, at the Hovsan Competition Complex in Baku, Azerbaijan, Pakistan played out two 1-1 draws in a single day at the inaugural FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival, holding Jordan in the morning and then holding Nigeria, one of Africa's most respected football nations, in the afternoon. After three defeats to start their historic campaign, the Green Shirts finished the first stage of Group AD with two points from five matches, and with something far more valuable than the points themselves: proof that they belong at this level.

This was Pakistan's first ever appearance at a FIFA World Cup event, and the opening days in Baku had been harsh. A 4-2 defeat to Gambia on October 24, in a match Pakistan had led 2-0, was followed on October 25 by a 1-0 loss to South Sudan and a 4-0 defeat to Cyprus. Monday was different. Pakistan led in both matches, defended with organisation and discipline, and twice refused to be beaten. For a team of under-15 players playing against established football countries, that is a genuine step forward, and it changes the mood around the whole campaign.

Monday morning: Pakistan 1-1 Jordan

Pakistan began the day against Jordan, their fellow Asian side in Group AD, and made the early running. Kaleem Ullah, who would go on to be the story of the day, put the Shaheens ahead with a fine strike from the edge of the penalty area that flew into the top right corner. It was the kind of goal that settles nerves: early, confident, and struck with real conviction.

Jordan, a highly regarded side at this age level, pushed back as expected. Pakistan held their shape, competed strongly through the second period, and looked for long stretches as though they might hold on for a first win. In the end Jordan found a way through, with a close-range sequence ending in a fortunate goal that squeezed inside the post. Pakistan could not find a winner in the time that remained, but a 1-1 draw against Jordan was still a landmark result: the first point in Pakistan's FIFA World Cup history.

The significance of that point should not be understated. Pakistan had arrived in Baku as debutants in a 189-team festival, playing a format few of their players will have experienced before. To go from three defeats to a draw against a strong Asian opponent, in a double-header day where fitness and concentration are tested to the limit, showed a team learning quickly.

Monday afternoon: Pakistan 1-1 Nigeria

If the Jordan draw was a breakthrough, the Nigeria draw was a statement. Nigeria's Future Eagles arrived for the afternoon match unbeaten in Group AD, having earlier on Monday come from behind to beat Cyprus 2-1. They are a physically strong, technically accomplished side, and they had scored freely throughout the group stage. Pakistan, playing their second match of the day, took the lead again.

Once more it was Kaleem Ullah. Fed the ball right beside the penalty spot, he converted clinically for his second goal of the day, putting Pakistan 1-0 up shortly after the restart. It was a composed finish from a young striker who was growing in confidence with every match, and it put Nigeria, unbeaten until then in the afternoon's second game, on the back foot.

Nigeria responded quickly. Four minutes later, in the 25th minute, captain Timothy Ijach reacted quickest to a loose ball inside the penalty area and poked home the equaliser. Pakistan then had to survive the rest of the match against a side chasing a second win in one day. They did. The Shaheens stood firm, matched Nigeria's intensity after the break, and held on for a second 1-1 draw.

For Nigeria, the draw completed an unbeaten first stage: one win and four draws, seven points from five matches, with 11 goals scored and 10 conceded. That context makes Pakistan's result even better. This was not a draw against a team already beaten or out of form. It was a draw against the group stage's unbeaten side, earned hours after Pakistan had already played a full match that morning.

Kaleem Ullah: the star of the day

Every breakthrough campaign needs a player who announces himself, and in Baku that player is Kaleem Ullah. Two goals in one day, both to put Pakistan ahead, both scored with the calmness of a striker who trusts his technique. Against Jordan he struck from the edge of the box into the top corner. Against Nigeria he finished clinically from beside the penalty spot. Both goals gave Pakistan something to defend, and both changed the way opponents had to approach the match.

Young strikers are often judged on goals alone, but Kaleem's contribution on Monday was broader than that. His goals allowed Pakistan to play on the front foot, to press with confidence, and to force Jordan and Nigeria to chase games. When a debutant team leads twice in one day, belief spreads through the whole squad. The defenders defend with more conviction, the midfielders press with more energy, and the whole team starts to believe that the next match is winnable too.

Pakistan's full Group AD journey

Match	Result	Pakistan scorers noted
vs Gambia, October 24	Lost 4-2	Pakistan led 2-0 before the turnaround
vs South Sudan, October 25	Lost 1-0	—
vs Cyprus, October 25	Lost 4-0	—
vs Jordan, October 26	Drew 1-1	Kaleem Ullah
vs Nigeria, October 26	Drew 1-1	Kaleem Ullah

The final group numbers tell the story plainly. Pakistan played five matches, won none, drew two and lost three, scoring four goals and conceding 11 for two points. That is not a record to celebrate uncritically, and nobody in the Pakistan camp will pretend otherwise. The Gambia defeat, after leading 2-0, and the heavy loss to Cyprus showed exactly where the gaps are: game management when ahead, concentration across a full match, and defensive organisation against quick, direct attacks.

But the direction of travel matters. Pakistan conceded nine goals in their first three matches and only two in their last two. They went from losing a two-goal lead to holding two leads, albeit only to draws, against better opposition. In a development tournament, that kind of learning, visible from one day to the next, is precisely the point of the exercise.

What happens next: no elimination, a new tier

One of the most important things for Pakistani fans to understand about this tournament is that Pakistan are not out. The FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival is not a traditional knockout event. It is a festival format, played eight-a-side in two 20-minute halves, with 189 member associations taking part between October 22 and 31. Nobody is eliminated at the end of the group stage.

Instead, each team's group-stage results decide which of six performance-based tiers they enter for the second phase. The second-phase matches take place on October 28 and 29, with the tier finals on October 30. Pakistan rested on Tuesday, October 27, before returning for that second phase on Wednesday. Their opponents and exact tier will be confirmed from the final group standings, so fans should be wary of any social media post claiming a confirmed second-phase fixture before FIFA and the Pakistan Football Federation announce it.

That structure is good news for Pakistan. It means the two draws on Monday were not just morale boosters. They affect Pakistan's tier placement, and therefore the level of opposition they will face in the second phase. A team that finishes its group stage with two draws is placed differently, and faces a different challenge, than a team that loses all five matches. Pakistan earned that difference on Monday.

What Pakistan must fix in the second phase

The second phase will test whether Monday was a turning point or just a good day. Three lessons stand out from the group stage, and all three will matter again on October 28 and 29.

First, Pakistan must learn to protect a lead. They led Gambia 2-0 and lost 4-2. They led Jordan and Nigeria and drew both. Leading is not the problem for this team; closing out matches is. That is a normal lesson for under-15 players, but it is one they must learn quickly if they want to turn draws into wins.

Second, the defensive improvement on Monday must be repeated. Conceding two goals across two matches against Jordan and Nigeria, after conceding nine in three matches before that, suggests better shape, better communication and better discipline. The second phase will bring fresh opponents who will test that organisation again from the first minute.

Third, Pakistan need more goals from more players. Kaleem Ullah scored both goals on Monday, and Pakistan's attack cannot rest on one young striker alone. If other attackers can share the scoring burden in the second phase, Pakistan will be much harder to defend against, and much more likely to turn their improved performances into victories.

Why this campaign matters for Pakistan football

It is easy to look at a record of two draws and three defeats and ask what the fuss is about. The answer is that Pakistan football has waited a long time for a moment like this. To play at a FIFA event at all, against teams from Asia, Africa and beyond, is a first. To compete, to lead matches, and to finish the group stage unbeaten on the final day is a foundation, not a finished product.

For the players, the experience of Baku will stay with them whatever happens next. They have played five international matches in a few days, against different styles, in a format that demands quick thinking and constant movement. For the coaches, the second phase offers two more matches to test whether the lessons of Monday have stuck. For fans back home, the message of Monday is simple: this team got better as the tournament went on, and they are not finished yet.

Pakistan return to action on October 28 in the second phase of the FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival in Baku. After Monday's two draws, they will do so with two points, a goalscorer in form, and a belief that they can compete with anyone in their tier. That is a very different team from the one that walked off after the Gambia defeat. The next two days will show just how far they have come.

Sources: Geo Super, FootballPakistan.com, SportsLink PK, Complete Sports, Ademola Sports, The Sun Nigeria, Port City News. Match details verified across multiple reports. Photos are illustrative youth-football photos from Wikimedia Commons (Kids playing football in Rwanda and Football for kids by IGANZE; Boys playing football by 0x FF), used under free licences, and are not photos from the Baku matches.