At the Hovsan Competition Complex — the beating heart of the first-ever FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival™ in Baku, Azerbaijan — Hannu Tihinen watches young footballers from across the planet chase the same dream.

For the FIFA Senior High-Performance Specialist and member of FIFA’s Technical Study Group, the scale of the event is unlike anything football has seen before.

“It is amazing,” said Tihinen. “It really shows what it means when FIFA unites the world. This is something concrete behind that motto. When you see the different teams playing against each other, and when you spend time in the athletes’ village, it is really incredible.”

Tihinen has spent three days in the athletes’ village where teams from 189 FIFA Member Associations (MA) live, learn and share experiences together, and he has witnessed scenes that go far beyond the beautiful game.

“When you see the teams meeting each other, talking to each other and getting to know different countries, cultures and people — and when some teams are walking around, singing and dancing — it is really incredible,” he said.

The FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival is not simply another youth competition. It is a global development platform, designed to give young players an international stage at a crucial juncture in their careers and their lives.

Nearly 1,000 matches are being played in Baku with most fixtures staged at the Hovsan Competition Complex and the opening match and tier finals taking place at Baku Crystal Hall.

“For these players, it is something extraordinary,” Tihinen explained. “It is something they will never forget. We are talking about the biggest and greatest national-team tournament ever in the history of any sport. It is really impressive, and we are giving all these players the opportunity to show what they can do.”

For Tihinen, who earned 76 caps for Finland and enjoyed a professional playing career that included spells at HJK Helsinki, Viking Stavanger, West Ham United, R.S.C. Anderlecht and FC Zürich, the tournament also carries a personal dimension.

“Of course, it would have been great to have a competition like this a few years ago, when I was playing myself,” he said. “But I am happy that we can do it now.”

The event sits at the centre of FIFA’s Talent Development Scheme (TDS), the global project led by FIFA Chief of Global Football Development Arsène Wenger. Its ambition is clear: to give every talented player a chance to be discovered and developed, regardless of where they come from.

Through the FIFA Talent Academies Programme, FIFA supports MAs in establishing at least one high-performance academy or centre of excellence. The TDS also provides coaching expertise and guidance through FIFA Talent Coaches, helping national federations build stronger long-term structures with the ultimate goal of raising national team standards around the world.

“It is under the umbrella of the Talent Development Scheme, with the biggest and greatest motto: give every talent a chance,” explained Tihinen. “That is exactly why we are here. We try to unite the world and give every talented player a chance. The players of the 189 participating Member Associations have the possibility to show the whole world what they can do on the field of play.”

The tournament’s 8 vs. 8 format, with two 20-minute halves, is deliberately designed to maximise playing time, decision-making and development opportunities with teams playing multiple matches right through to the final day on 30 October.

“Because the format is 8 against 8, it will be different, and it is really difficult to say who is going to win,” Tihinen said. “But the FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival is not only about winning. For some teams, it is more about development and gaining experience in an international competition.”

His message to the young players is simple.

“The most important thing is not only to win, but also how you win and how you perform. Play, grow, learn and enjoy the game — that is it.”

That message could also apply to events off the pitch with the environment created around the tournament ensuring it lives up to the ‘festival’ in its name. At the athletes’ village, players take part in learning sessions focused on awareness, goal-setting and personal development — tools intended to help them understand their own journey as athletes and young people.

“The athletes’ village and the organisation are impressive,” he said. “Everything has to be scheduled and reorganised again and again so that everything runs as efficiently as possible and we can deliver a really high-quality competition.

“But the most impressive thing is seeing the different players together when we organise our learning sessions. We show them how they can increase their awareness, where they are going, and how to set goals. We talk about their daily routine and how they can think much better about their own development.”

For Tihinen, those moments capture the festival’s true purpose as it proves global football development can be inclusive, ambitious and human at the same time..

“When they share knowledge, when they really enjoy it, when they are happy to see each other and talk to each other — that is fantastic. Some of these boys are abroad for the first time. That kind of experience is fantastic for them,” he said.

“It is fantastic to see what happens on the pitch, but it is just as important to see what happens off the pitch — how the players find new friends and how they understand the world. That is what this festival is all about.”