Morocco created a surprise on Sunday in Chile by winning the FIFA U-20 World Cup for the first time, thanks to a 2-0 victory against the favored Argentinians in Santiago. This comes just months before the senior national team is set to play in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) at home. France finished the tournament in fourth place.
Morocco is preparing for a major football celebration with the upcoming AFCON (December 21 – January 18), and they got a magnificent preview of it from Sunday night into Monday. The young Moroccans won the U-20 World Cup in a final where they were far from the favorites against Argentina. Striker Yassir Zabiri scored both of his team’s goals in the 12th and 29th minutes, securing the trophy for his side in front of some 43,000 spectators, the majority of whom were supporting the Moroccans, the newcomers in this competition.
Their success marks the second title for the African continent in the U-20 World Cup, after Ghana’s triumph in 2009. Morocco seems to still be riding the wave of its great performance at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where its senior team reached the semi-finals and finished fourth, before its men’s Olympic team won the bronze medal two years later at the Paris Olympics.
“This youth will motivate the national team”
Thousands of people celebrated the victory of the Atlas Lion Cubs overnight. “This is a historic event!”, exclaimed a 59-year-old supporter, his voice trembling with pride, in the heart of Rabat. “It’s the first time a Moroccan team has won a World Cup!” Around him, faces are beaming, songs are rising, and the capital is still buzzing at four in the morning. In the streets, people chant: “Congratulations to us! This is only the beginning!”
Indeed, Moroccans will potentially have many more great opportunities to celebrate their footballers. Because the senior national team, which will play in the AFCON at home, will be one of the tournament’s top favorites. And in 2030, the country will be one of the co-hosts of the World Cup with Spain and Portugal. For a 50-year-old shopkeeper in Rabat, “this youth will motivate the national team.” And already, dreams are stretching towards 2030. “God willing, we will win it!”, declares a 38-year-old fan. A sweet hope nurtured by this generation of U-20 players who will have grown up a lot by then.