Northern Ireland concluded their campaign at the world governing body's youth football event with a final ranking of 27th out of 189 participating nations.

The squad competed in the first edition of the FIFA World Cup and Festival for Under-15 boys' teams, which was staged in Azerbaijan.

Progression to the Tier A competition followed a perfect record in the group phase, consisting of four wins from four available fixtures.

In their Round of 32 match within that top tier, Northern Ireland faced Venezuela after both sides failed to secure a decisive result during regular time.

Striker Michael Mulholland opened the scoring early in the second half with an instinctive finish at the back post.

Venezuela levelled shortly thereafter, forcing the contest into extra time and subsequent penalty shootouts.

The Republic of Ireland men's team also took part in the tournament alongside Northern Ireland.

Despite losing 5-4 on penalties to Venezuela in their Round of 32 encounter, Northern Ireland continued playing further knockout games to determine their overall position.

Team officials described the campaign as a very good performance both individually and collectively.

The Irish Football Association remains the primary source for updates on domestic cup results and other regional football news.