Germany sit out FIFA Under-15 World Cup as Russia return

With nearly 1,000 matches and 189 teams, the under-15 boys World Cup in Azerbaijan is bloated even by FIFA's usual standards . It marks a change in its attitude to children's international tournaments, which have not existed on anywhere near this scale before. For Germany, it is too much too soon. The German FA (DFB) told DW that it had "consciously decided not to participate." The statement from the organization suggested the DFB — whose development of young players is under scrutiny after a run of poor performances by the men's national team — felt such a tournament was not appropriate for players so young.