South Africa vs Morocco are set to battle in the highly anticipated CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations final this Sunday at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo — a repeat of their iconic 1997 encounter.
Back then, Morocco U20 edged past South Africa 1-0 to clinch the title. Now, history is on the line once again. Morocco eyes its second championship, while South Africa U20 is chasing its first-ever continental crown.
This marks South Africa’s fifth appearance in a CAF tournament final, yet they’ve never beaten a North African team in such high-stakes matches — each loss by a single goal. Morocco U20, meanwhile, boasts a perfect record against Southern African teams in this tournament, defeating both Lesotho and Angola during the group stage.
Road to the CAF U-20 AFCON Final: South Africa vs Morocco
Both teams took similar routes to reach the final:
South Africa overcame DR Congo and Nigeria
Morocco dispatched Sierra Leone and hosts Egypt
This is the fifth time the U-20 AFCON is being held in North Africa — with history favoring North African teams when playing on home turf.
South Africa started slowly but has grown stronger, scoring eight goals in four wins. Goalkeeper Fletcher Lowe leads the tournament with 24 crucial saves.
Morocco enters the final unbeaten in 14 matches, scoring eight goals shared among top talents like Jones El Abdellaoui and Yassir Zabiri.
🥉 Third Place Play Off: Nigeria vs Egypt
Before the final, Nigeria and Egypt will meet in the third-place play-off at the same venue on Sunday at 18:00 local time (15:00 GMT). This will be their sixth clash in U-20 AFCON history.
Nigeria holds the edge, with three wins — including victories in 2005 (final), 2009, and 2023 group stages. Egypt’s lone win came in 2013’s semi-final. Their 2007 encounter ended in a draw.
Notably, Nigeria has performed well against host nations, boasting six wins and only two losses. Their most dominant win was a 4-0 demolition of Tunisia in the 2023 third-place match.
