England U15s Walk Off World Cup Match Amid Alleged Racist Slur

England's Under-15 squad walked off the field during their World Cup match against Ireland in Azerbaijan on October 26, 2026, following an alleged racist incident. Head coach Matt Thorpe withdrew his players in the 40th minute after one of the young Lions reported that an opponent had called him a "monkey" shortly after a physical altercation on the pitch.

A member of the Irish team's backroom staff reportedly shouted "no, he didn't" in response to the accusation, escalating into a verbal exchange between the two benches. The England player then approached his bench, and after conferring with the fourth official, Thorpe instructed his team to leave the field.

At the time of the walk-off, England was trailing Ireland 4-1. It remains unclear how the incident will impact the match's official result, as the first half was not completed.

FIFA, the Football Association (FA), and the Irish FA have been contacted for comment regarding the incident. This marks not the first time an England youth match has been disrupted by racism allegations; last year, an Under-17 friendly against Venezuela was stopped twice due to accusations of racial abuse.

England's Under-15 team had a strong performance in the group stage of the experimental eight-vs-eight tournament, winning their first three games with an aggregate score of 16-1 and topping their group before facing Ireland. Ireland was second in the group on goal difference.

FIFA has established comprehensive regulations for addressing racist incidents during matches. Players covering their mouths during confrontations can face a direct red card, a rule implemented after Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni received a six-match ban for an alleged slur against Vinicius Jr earlier in the year. Abusive and discriminatory language, if heard by the referee, also results in a straight red card.

In July, the FA introduced stricter measures against on-field discrimination, mandating a minimum 10-match ban for players found guilty. FIFA's protocol for discriminatory incidents involves a three-step procedure: an initial match stoppage for a public warning, followed by a temporary pause, and finally, match abandonment if the behavior persists. This protocol was notably implemented during a 2019 European Championship qualifying match between England and Bulgaria, where England's Black players were subjected to monkey chants and Nazi salutes, leading to the game being stopped twice before England decided to finish the match after initially walking off.