For Guam’s U-15 squad, the inaugural FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival 2026™ in Baku, Azerbaijan has simply been a dream come true. Not only is it the first time Guam has featured in a FIFA World Cup for any age-group but they marked the occasion with their first ever win at this level with a 1-0 victory over the Bahamas. The triumph followed four defeats in their opening games in the initial group stage and was a source of huge pride for goalscorer Trystan Santos.

“We’ve [come] here, we’ve even won a game, and it shows that even though we’re so small, we can do it, too, you know. We can compete with everybody else in the world,” said Santos, who scored the winning goal. “It felt like a dream. It’s everybody’s dream to say: ‘Oh, I’ve scored in a (FIFA) World Cup game.’ It’s something that everybody who plays football wishes they could say. And I get to say I’ve done it.”

For Guam coach Ross Awa, the result was a shared triumph. “Getting them to the very first win was very, very rewarding. For me, this win is especially meaningful. I’m honoured to have been part of it with the team, and we’ll always be able to look back on it as a collective achievement.” The tournament comes at an exciting moment for football for the U.S. territory with a population of just 170,000. The FIFA Talent Academy has been established in Guam and more than 200 youngsters have taken part in trials for four academy teams.

“This tournament came out of a very prime moment for us as we became a FIFA Talent Academy this past September as well,” said Awa. “So, for us, we’re beginning to grow and build our pathway, identifying the players, but understanding that there is an elite route for them to get into.”

There are plenty of reasons for optimism. After Typhoon Mawar devastated Guam in 2023, the Guam Football Association has reestablished football infrastructure. FIFA Football for Schools was launched there in 2022, with about 400 children from schools across the island at the ceremony.

In Baku, the players have embraced every new experience. “It’s awesome seeing the different [playing] styles,” said Santos, who was impressed by how confident Ghana were on the ball. Guam teammate Marciano Denight was “starstruck seeing all the nations that I watch on TV”, and enjoyed a party with one of the teams after Guam’s win. “I’ll probably take just being able to celebrate with different countries and realise everyone’s all human beings,” he said. “You think they’re big, but they’re just like us.” Santos was also struck by the energy he saw around him, and intends to carry it home. “They never switch off, and that’s something I feel like I can bring back to my island, to show everybody that it’s not about what you do on the pitch, but it’s also (what you do) off the pitch that correlates.”

Awa is just as determined to build on the experience in Baku. “We may be a small island, but we come with big hearts”, he said, adding that “it’s going to take the entire football community to have a true buy-in”. But the Guam coach said his main pride was in how his young players had made the most of the opportunity. “I think it’s how we nurtured the players in this environment and afforded them an opportunity that they probably felt that they would never have had,” he said. “At the end of the day, it’s really about the players, right? Everything that we do has to be a player-centred decision going forward.”