Since October 19, Morocco has become the second African nation to win the FIFA Under-20 World Cup after Ghana, succeeding Uruguay as champions.
The Ghanaian juniors now know their successors, sixteen years after they won the U-20 World Cup in 2009.
The Moroccan U-20 team matched their achievement by defeating Argentina 2-0 in the final on October 19 in Santiago, Chile. Forward Yassir Zabiri stood out by scoring a brace in the 12th and 29th minutes.
Moroccan football has once again confirmed its progress. After becoming the first African nation to reach the semi-finals of the senior World Cup, Morocco secured a bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
King Mohammed VI of Morocco stated that he followed the heroic journey of the Atlas Lion Cubs with immense joy and profound pride. Morocco finished first in its group by beating Spain 2-0 and Brazil 2-1 before losing to Mexico 0-1. In the Round of 16, they defeated South Korea 2-1, then overcame the United States 3-1 in the quarter-finals. In the semi-final against France’s Bleuets, the Atlas Lion Cubs needed a penalty shootout to advance 5-4 after a 1-1 draw in regular time.
Even Argentina, the most successful nation with six titles, could not resist them. Argentina had not won this cup since 2007. Colombia secured third place in the competition with a narrow 1-0 victory over France. In this tournament, Africa was represented, besides Morocco, by Egypt, South Africa, and Nigeria.