Pakistan vs Gambia FIFA U-15 World Cup Result: Pakistan Lose 4-2, South Sudan and Cyprus Next on 25 October

Pakistan lost 4-2 to Gambia in their first match at the FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival 2026 in Baku on Saturday, 24 October. They play twice on Sunday 25 October: South Sudan at 1:45 pm and Cyprus at 8:30 pm Pakistan time.

We read the result in FIFA's own match data on 24 October. Below are the score, the other Group AD results, Pakistan's next four games in Pakistan time, and why one defeat does not end their tournament. Every team plays at least nine games here, so the result decides which level Pakistan play at next week, not whether they stay.

Gambia beat Pakistan 4-2 on Pitch 10B at Hovsan

Pakistan lost 4-2 to Gambia in Group AD at the Hovsan Competition Complex in Baku. The match kicked off at 2:30 pm local time, 3:30 pm in Pakistan. It was match 87 of the qualification stage, and FIFA lists Gambia as the winner.

FIFA's data gives the score, the pitch and the time, but no goal scorers yet. We will not name scorers we have not seen in an official record. Matches here are eight-a-side with two halves of 20 minutes, so six goals in 40 minutes is a busy game rather than a collapse.

Scoring twice against a side from West Africa is something to build on. Pakistan's players, born in 2011 or 2012, mostly meet South Asian teams, and three of their five group opponents here are African: Gambia, Nigeria and South Sudan.

Cyprus and Gambia lead Group AD after day one

Three Group AD games were played on 24 October. Gambia beat Pakistan 4-2, Cyprus beat Jordan 2-1, and Nigeria and South Sudan drew 3-3. Gambia and Cyprus lead, with Pakistan and Jordan yet to score a point.

FIFA has not published a points table for the group in the data we read. If the usual three points for a win and one for a draw apply, Gambia and Cyprus have three each, Nigeria and South Sudan one each, and Pakistan and Jordan none. Treat that as our working, not FIFA's table.

Pakistan play South Sudan and Cyprus on Sunday

Pakistan play two matches on Sunday 25 October: South Sudan at 1:45 pm and Cyprus at 8:30 pm Pakistan time. Two more follow on Monday 26 October, against Jordan at 12:30 pm and Nigeria at 7:15 pm.

These times come from FIFA's match data, which we read on 24 October, and they match the times in our U-15 World Cup schedule in Pakistan time. Baku is one hour behind Pakistan. South Sudan drew 3-3 with Nigeria, so Sunday's first game will be no easier than the first.

A loss decides Pakistan's tier, not their exit

After the group games end on 26 October, every team moves into one of six performance tiers based on its group results. Each tier has its own competition and its own final on 30 October. Pakistan will play at least four more games whatever happens.

That is why the two Sunday games matter. A win or two would lift Pakistan into a stronger tier, against better opponents. More losses would put them with teams nearer their level, which can still mean more wins later in the week.

1. 25 and 26 October: the last four group games.
2. 27 October: rest day.
3. 28 and 29 October: tier games, match days 4 and 5.
4. 30 October: six tier finals and the closing ceremony at Baku Crystal Hall.
5. 31 October: teams fly home.

FIFA has not yet put the tier match times in its data, because they depend on the group results.

The 14 players were picked by coach Ihsanullah Khan

Head coach Ihsanullah Khan named the 14-player squad, which left Islamabad for Baku on 20 October. FIFA allows 14 players and up to six staff per team, and coaches can make unlimited substitutions, so all 14 can play every day.

The full list of names is in our report on Pakistan's 14-player U-15 squad. The names were released through a Pakistan Football Federation press statement and reported in Pakistan; the federation's own website had not posted them when we last checked. Pakistan's senior men play next at the SAFF Championship in November, so the U-15 games are the main football in Pakistani colours this week.

Common questions

What was the result of Pakistan vs Gambia at the U-15 World Cup?

Gambia won 4-2 on 24 October 2026 in Baku.

When is Pakistan's next U-15 match?

Against South Sudan on Sunday 25 October at 1:45 pm Pakistan time, then Cyprus at 8:30 pm.

Is Pakistan out of the U-15 World Cup?

No. Every team plays at least nine games. The group results only decide which tier Pakistan play in from 28 October.

Who scored Pakistan's goals against Gambia?

FIFA's data did not list scorers when we checked, so we have not named them.

How long is a U-15 World Cup match?

Forty minutes, in two halves of 20 minutes, played eight-a-side.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

We read the result and the next fixtures in FIFA's public match data for the "FIFA U-15 Youth World Cup and Festival 2026" on 24 October 2026, and the event format in FIFA's media release on the U-15 World Cup and Festival. Pakistan times are our conversion from Baku time. Goal scorers, line-ups and a FIFA points table were not available when we checked. The squad names are as reported from a federation press statement, not from the federation's website.