São Tomé and Príncipe exceeded expectations with their victory over Bahamas
Lígia Santos is the only female head coach at the tournament
FIFA Forward has contributed to football development in the island nation
As the FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival™ wrapped up with Spain claiming the inaugural title with a 3-0 victory over Czechia, huge achievements were being made concurrently by teams further away from the spotlight.
Unlike other FIFA tournaments, this competition was open to all of FIFA’s Member Associations (MAs) with a total of 189 teams competing in Azerbaijan – giving those who had never previously qualified for a FIFA tournament the opportunity to compete on a global level.
Among the 78 teams taking part in their first FIFA tournament were São Tomé and Príncipe, representing the second smallest nation in Africa with a population of just over 200,000.
This was the biggest tournament they have competed in as a nation and they took opportunity with both hands, playing a total of ten matches against opponents from five different confederations: three from UEFA, three from Concacaf, two from AFC and one each from OFC and CAF.
São Tomé and Príncipe surpassed expectations with their 3-2 victory over the Bahamas their tournament highlight.
Football aside, the FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival gave the players an opportunity to glimpse not just the life of a professional footballer, but also an insight into the world beyond their shores. A unique experience which would not have been possible at their young age without football.
“It was their first time on a plane and it was amazing,” said head coach Lígia Santos. “They started screaming as soon as the plane went up and I had to sit them down and say ‘you have to keep in your seats’. We changed planes four times and after the fourth, it was fun.”
“The most amazing thing was our free day: it was the cherry on the cake because I took them on the metro for the first time in their lives. As soon as they saw the metro, they started screaming because that thing goes fast. ‘Oh my God coach, we’re going to die’, and I said, ‘no, you’re not going to die, we’re underground!’”
“This was great to have these experiences. We don’t have buildings like that back home, I took them to the mall and they experienced McDonald's for the first time, and ice cream. They see it on TikTok, in the movies, but this is the real thing. So, their experience walking around the city, the girls, talking, pictures: people are very, very nice in Baku.”
Santos herself was unique, being the only female head coach at the tournament. Joining São Tomé and Príncipe’s national team programme in 2023, Santos remains the head coach of the women’s national team as well as her role with the U-15 side.
“I didn’t have any idea I was the only woman until the first coaching meeting. I was sitting in the third or fourth row, then I looked back and I was like, ‘Oh, it’s only me’
A strong advocate of women in coaching roles, Santos is proud to be the sole female representative but wants more to follow in her footsteps.
“I’m very proud to be the only female coach here but we have to step up more. Football is my life, so it doesn’t matter whether I’m coaching men or women, but I want female coaches to follow me, I want women and people in my country to move forwards and look at me as a spirit.
“You can do it. If I can do it, you can do it too.”
Having performed admirably on the pitch, São Tomé and Príncipe will use this tournament as the next step of their football progression and will continue to engage with FIFA programmes.
Initiatives such as FIFA Football for Schools and FIFA Arena are underway in the nation, and significantly over USD 5.6m has been committed through FIFA Forward Programme. FIFA Forward has contributed to expansion of the National Technical Centre, artificial turf projects and renovation of the São Tomé and Principe Football Association (FSF) headquarters.
“With FIFA’s programmes’ development, we can get more and more. In 2028, there will be an explosion back in São Tomé regarding women and these boys, too. That’s what I’m hoping is going to happen because with me behind it, it will be possible.”
Women coaches remain very few and far between in men’s football. Former England women’s head coach Hope Powell was part of England’s backroom team at the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2023 in Argentina, supporting Ian Foster and his coaching team as a technical advisor. Former Italy women’s international Patrizia Panico was coach of her country’s men’s U-15 national team from 2018 to 2023 and assistant coach of the U-21 team during the same period.
A handful have coached men’s teams at senior level. They include: Corinne Diacre (Clermont Foot, France), Chan Yuen Ting (Eastern SC, Hong Kong, China), Carolina Morace (Viterbese, ITA), Margaret Aka (Southern Strikers, Papua-New Guinea), Inka Grings (SV Staelen, GER), Carolin Braun (assistant coach Botswana national team), Jackline Juma (FC Talanta, Kenya), Marie-Louise Eta (Union Berlin, Germany) and Sabrina Wittmann (FC Ingolstadt, Germany).