The 2018 CAFA U-15 Championship was the second edition of the CAFA U-15 Championship, the international youth football championship organized by CAFA for the men's under-15 national teams of Central Asia. Uzbekistan was hosting the tournament. All 6 CAFA teams entered the tournament, with players born on or after 1 January 2003 eligible to participate.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country |  Uzbekistan |
| City | Tashkent |
| Dates | 20-31 July |
| Teams | 6 (from 1 sub-confederation) |
| Venue(s) | 3 (in 1 host city) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Iran (1st title) |
| Runners-up | Uzbekistan |
| Third place |  Tajikistan |
| Fourth place |  Afghanistan |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 15 |
| Goals scored | 39 (2.6 per match) |
| Attendance | 1,714 (114 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Mehran Nafari Oblayorbek Rahmatov (4 goals each) |
| Best player(s) | Mehran Nafari |
| Best goalkeeper | Aria Hoseinifar |
| Fair play award |  Kyrgyzstan |
Afghanistan were the defending champions having inaugural competition in 2017.[1] but failed to retain their title after suffering two losses to Tajikistan and debutant Iran, who ultimately won the trophy unbeaten.[2]
Participating teams edit
All 6 CAFA nations entered the competition, with Iran making their debut after missing last year's edition.[3][4]
| Team | App. | Previous best performance |
|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan[1]
|
2nd | Champions (2017) |
| Iran
|
1st | Debut |
| Kyrgyzstan
|
2nd | Fourth place (2017) |
| Tajikistan[3]
|
2nd | Fifth place (2017) |
 Turkmenistan[4]
|
2nd | Third place (2017) |
| Uzbekistan
|
2nd | Runners-up (2017) |
Venues edit
The tournaments matches were held at three venues located throughout the capital city Tashkent.[5]
| Tashkent |   Tashkent 2018 CAFA U-15 Championship (Uzbekistan) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Lokomotiv Stadium | National Stadium | Pakhtakor Stadium | |
| Capacity: 8,000 | Capacity: 33,834 | Capacity: 35,000 | |
Squads edit
Main tournament edit
The final tournament schedule was announced on 14 July 2018.[6]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Final result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iran
|
5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | +12 | 15 | Champions |
| 2 | Uzbekistan (H)
|
5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 2 | +7 | 10 | Runners-up |
| 3 | Tajikistan
|
5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 6 | +1 | 9 | Third place |
| 4 | Afghanistan
|
5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 7 | |
| 5 | Kyrgyzstan
|
5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 8 | −3 | 3 | |
| 6 | Turkmenistan
|
5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 18 | −17 | 0 |
| Turkmenistan | 1–4 | Uzbekistan |
|---|---|---|
|
Report (FFT) |
|
| Kyrgyzstan | 0–2 | Iran |
|---|---|---|
| Report (FFT) |
|
| Uzbekistan | 3–0 | Tajikistan |
|---|---|---|
|
Report (FFT) |
| Iran | 1–0 | Afghanistan |
|---|---|---|
|
Report (FFT) |
| Uzbekistan | 2–0 | Kyrgyzstan |
|---|---|---|
|
Report (FFT) |
| Iran | 1–0 | Uzbekistan |
|---|---|---|
|
Report (FFT) |
| Tajikistan | 0–3 | Iran |
|---|---|---|
| Report (FFT) |
|
| Turkmenistan | 0–4 | Kyrgyzstan |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
Goalscorers edit
There were 39 goals scored in 15 matches, for an average of 2.6 goals per match.
4 goals
3 goals
2 goals
1 goal
Source: CAFA
Awards edit
The following awards were given at the conclusion of the tournament:[7]
| Top Goalscorer | Best player | Best goalkeeper |
|---|---|---|
| Oblayorbek Rahmatov
|
Mehran Nafari
|
Aria Hoseinifar
|
| Fair Play award | Special award | Fans award |
| Kyrgyzstan
|
Turkmenistan
|
Afghanistan
|
References edit
- ^ a b "U-15 Football Team Leaves Kabul for Asian Competition". tolonews.com. 19 July 2018. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
- ^ "کافا ۲۰۱۸/ایران قهرمان شد" [CAFA 2018/Iran are the champions]. iranleague.ir (in Persian). 1 August 2018. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
- ^ a b "Юношеская сборная Таджикистана (U-15) по футболу примет участие в чемпионате CAFA" [The youth national football team of Tajikistan (U-15) will participate in the CAFA Championship.]. khovar.tj (in Russian). 13 July 2018. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
- ^ a b "Юношеская сборная Туркменистана (U-15) примет участие в стартующем в Ташкенте чемпионате CAFA" [The youth national football team of Turkmenistan (U-15) will participate in the upcoming CAFA Championship starting in Tashkent.]. turkmenportal.com (in Russian). 21 July 2018. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
- ^ "Youth team of Turkmenistan to perform at CAFA championship". orient.tm. 13 July 2018. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
- ^ "Tashkent to host CAFA U-15 Championship 2018 - Fixtures". sports.uz. 14 July 2018. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
- ^ "Юношеская сборная Таджикистана (U-15) – бронзовый призёр чемпионата CAFA" [Youth national team of Tajikistan (U-15) - bronze medalist of the CAFA Championship]. fft.tj (in Russian). Tajikistan Football Federation. 30 July 2018. Retrieved 4 May 2024.