Champions of Tier B: Zambia's under-15s beat Portugal 5–2 in Baku, Maxen Msimuko scores a hat-trick in the final, and Keith Mweemba tells the squad FAZ will manage what comes next

The week that began with a win over England ended with a trophy. On Friday 30 October, in Baku, Zambia's under-15s beat Portugal 5–2 in the final of Tier B of the inaugural FIFA U-15 World Cup, ZamFoot, News Diggers and Africa Soccer all reported. Maxen Msimuko scored a hat-trick, with further goals from players ZamFoot names only as Benson and Thomson, and Samuel Musonda hit the crossbar. Africa Soccer put the result in the tournament's terms: the Tier B title ranks Zambia 33rd overall in a field of 189 national teams.

The route was long. News Diggers' account of the tournament lists a 13–0 group win over Montserrat and a 2–0 win over Niger, with results against Comoros, England and Slovakia that the paper gives as 2–3, 2–3 and 3–1 without saying which side each figure belongs to. ZamFoot's reports fill in the knockout path: having finished second in their group, which placed them in Tier B rather than Tier A, Zambia beat England in the round of 32, Niger in the round of 16 and Slovakia 3–1 in the quarter-final, and beat Senegal 4–3 in a semi-final in which Moses Munkombwe equalised, Msimuko scored twice and Musonda struck the winner from a Msimuko rebound. Before the final ZamFoot had Msimuko on 13 goals; the hat-trick makes 16.

What the tournament was

FIFA's first under-15 World Cup and festival, ZamFoot noted, drew almost 3,000 players from 189 teams across all six confederations, who played 932 matches and scored 4,505 goals, an average of 4.83 a game. Group winners went into Tier A and runners-up into Tier B. Other African teams reaching finals were the Central African Republic, Ethiopia and Tunisia. News Diggers reported that the FAZ president, Keith Mweemba, addressed the squad after the title and gave an assurance about the players' transition to the next age group; the detail of what he promised is behind the paper's paywall, and the coach, Brian Kunsanama, is named by ZamFoot in its semi-final report.

For Zambian football the result sits beside the senior and under-23 teams' November fixtures at a National Heroes Stadium that CAF has approved on a temporary basis, and beside a transitional league in which the Nkana sanction reported elsewhere in this edition was handed down on the same day the under-15s lifted their trophy. The squad's return date was not reported.

Sources: ZamFoot, “Zambia thrash Portugal to win FIFA U-15 World Cup Tier B title” (31 Oct 2026); News Diggers, “Junior Chipolopolo crowned champions, as FAZ assures transition” (31 Oct 2026); Africa Soccer, “Zambia beat Portugal to win Africa's U15 World Cup Division B final” (30 Oct 2026); ZamFoot, “FIFA U15 World Cup: Zambia U15 beat Senegal in Semis in a 7 goal thriller” (29 Oct 2026).