England walk off and U15 World Cup match is abandoned over alleged racism

What happened

The Under-15 World Cup match between the Republic of Ireland and England was abandoned in Baku, Azerbaijan, on 26 October 2026, shortly before the end of the game. Ireland were leading 4-1 at the time of the stoppage. The tournament is the first edition of the Under-15 World Cup and Festival, which involves 189 countries and territories and uses eight-a-side teams on smaller pitches with two 20-minute halves. Ireland top their group. The incident followed an altercation between players from both sides after a tackle.

The allegation

An England player complained to the coaching staff on the bench about an alleged racist remark made by an Irish player. The Irish player is understood to have denied the accusation, saying he used a different word from the one alleged to have been heard. No source has confirmed what was said, so the claim remains an allegation under investigation. Reports also differ on timing: The Irish Times places England's walk-off in the 41st minute, while SAPO gives the 40th minute. The BBC describes the incident as happening in the final minute of the match.

England leave the pitch

BBC footage shows England staff relaying the complaint to the referee, who told the England coaching staff that he could not hear them. An assistant coach then told the referee that England were reporting racism and that the players did not want to play. Matt Thorpe, the England head coach, was seen on DAZN coverage asking the referee to come over before calling his players off the pitch. Footage cited by The Independent appears to show Thorpe beckoning his players off the field, and he can be heard saying:

Heated words were then exchanged between the two coaching staffs, with each side saying it was trying to protect its players. A later assistant comment said that one player was upset.

FIFA and the associations

FIFA said it was aware of the incident and that the referee abandoned the match after England refused to continue. The governing body added:

“The official reports are being gathered, and the matter will be referred to the independent disciplinary committee who will decide in due course.”

The Football Association of Ireland and the Football Association were both contacted for comment. The Independent reports that the English association is aware of the incident and is awaiting more information. No date has been given for the disciplinary decision.

Next fixtures

England were scheduled to play Zimbabwe on 26 October at 20:45 local time (16:45 GMT), while the Republic of Ireland were set to face Cambodia at the same time. SAPO reports that England had already won three matches in three group rounds, against Nicaragua, Montenegro and Cambodia. The match against Ireland is now unresolved while FIFA gathers the official reports. The referee's account and the Irish player's denial will both feed into that process.