No individual honours and no fair play prize: the focus is entirely on collective character
At the FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival 2026™, the players decide: teams vote for the teams that have impressed them most for identity, unity and positive energy
The Distinctive Identity, United by Football and Positive Energy Awards celebrate the qualities that make a team truly special on and off the pitch
The FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival 2026™ in Baku, Azerbaijan, is a tournament of many firsts: the inaugural edition of a global celebration of youth football, 189 participating teams, and 78 FIFA Member Associations making their FIFA World Cup debut. Among its most distinctive innovations are the Special Awards — a new way of recognising what truly makes a team special. “Having witnessed the incredible energy, spirit of competition, shared moments of happiness and forging of new friendships across all 189 FIFA Member Associations competing in this historic event, we are further motivated to continue taking football to everyone, everywhere. We want to keep giving every talent a chance and ensure our game can be the cause of smiles and opportunities throughout the world,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
Unlike at many other FIFA tournaments, where individual prizes such as the Golden Ball or Golden Boot take centre stage, the Special Awards in Baku are exclusively team awards. There are no individual honours and no fair play prize. Instead, the participating teams themselves decide who deserves recognition: players vote for players.
How the voting works
Throughout the tournament, in the Athletes’ Village the teams will have access to the voting documents. Each team is invited to vote for the side that has impressed them most with exciting, positive football and an outstanding presence throughout the Festival.
The Special Awards are therefore a genuine reflection of peer recognition: not decided by statistics or officials, but by the young footballers who share the pitches, the dressing rooms and the Athletes’ Village every day. Three trophies — awarded as trophies only, with no medals — will be handed over at the end of the Festival.
The three Special Awards
FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival 2026™ Distinctive Identity Award
This award recognises a team’s distinctive personality and culture. It celebrates a clear and consistent identity, reflected in the team’s values, playing style, teamwork and behaviour across matches and Festival activities.
FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival 2026™ United by Football Award
This award honours togetherness and positive energy. It recognises teams whose unity is visible on and off the pitch — through teamwork, encouragement, collective behaviour and the feedback of observers and delegates.
FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival 2026™ Positive Energy Award
This award celebrates enthusiasm and positivity. Body language, behaviour on the bench, encouragement of teammates and the way a team responds to adversity all play a role in recognising the side that brings the most positive energy to the tournament.
More than a trophy
With teams from every corner of the football world gathered in Baku, many young players meet for the first time — often speaking different languages, yet quickly finding ways to communicate, connect and build friendships.
That is precisely what the Special Awards are designed to celebrate: teams with a clear identity, teams that stand together, and teams that bring positivity to every match and every encounter.
Once again, Baku shows what football is all about: Football unites the world.