Chijioke Gabriel
In a historic moment for African football, Morocco defeated Argentina 2-0 on Sunday night in Chile to claim their first-ever Under-20 World Cup title. The victory marked Morocco’s first World Cup win at any age-group level in the country’s history.
Yassir Zabiri, who plays for FC Famalicao in Portugal’s top flight, scored a pair of first-half goals to stake Morocco to a 2-0 lead by halftime—the lead that would secure the title.
Morocco’s path to the final was marked by impressive victories over South Korea, the United States, and France in the knockout rounds. The North African nation became the first African team to win the U-20 World Cup since Ghana’s triumph in 2009.
For Argentina, the loss was their first of the tournament, ending hopes of claiming a seventh U-20 title. The team faced challenges, missing two of its top U-20 players: Claudio Echeverri of Bayer Leverkusen and Franco Mastantuono of Real Madrid. Despite these absences, Argentina had advanced to the final on the back of strong performances from their remaining squad.
Argentina’s senior team, meanwhile, remains the defending World Cup champion and has already qualified for the 2026 World Cup in North America, following their run to the semifinals in the 2022 Qatar tournament, where they were eliminated by France.
Morocco’s historic victory not only cements its place on the youth football map but also provides a source of pride for African football as a whole. The win demonstrates the growing competitiveness of African nations in global football tournaments and signals promising talent for the senior national team in the years ahead.