With nearly 1,000 matches and 189 teams, the Under-15 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.

"At this age level, our identification and development process is still underway, and we therefore do not believe it is appropriate to nominate a fixed squad for an international tournament at this stage," it read.

"More broadly, the DFB's approach to talent development is based on the principle of supporting young players in a long-term and age-appropriate manner.…