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Morocco national under-20 football team

This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Morocco women's national under-20 football team.
Morocco U-20
NicknameThe Atlas Cubs
AssociationRoyal Moroccan Football Federation
ConfederationCAF (Africa)
Head coachMohamed Ouahbi
Home stadiumVarious
FIFA codeMAR
First colours
Second colours
FIFA U-20 World Cup
Appearances4 (first in 1977)
Best result1st place, gold medalist(s) Champions (2025)
U-20 Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances11 (first in 1979)
Best result Champions (1997)
Arab Cup U-20
Appearances8 (first in 1983)
Best result1st place, gold medalist(s) Champions (1989, 2011)
Medal record
FIFA U-20 World Cup
Gold medal – first place 2025 Chile Team
U-20 Africa Cup of Nations
Gold medal – first place 1997 Morocco
Silver medal – second place 2025 Egypt Team
Arab Cup U-20
Gold medal – first place 1989 Iraq
Gold medal – first place 2011 Morocco
Silver medal – second place 1983 Morocco
Mediterranean Games
Gold medal – first place 2013 Mersin
Islamic Solidarity Games
Gold medal – first place 2013 Palembang
Bronze medal – third place 2005 Mecca

Morocco national under-20 football team, represents Morocco in association football at an under-20 age level and is controlled by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, the governing body for football in Morocco. The current coach is Mohamed Ouahbi.

History

On 24 December 2020, Morocco won the 2020 UNAF U-20 Tournament and qualified for the 2021 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations.[1] In the 2021 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations, Morocco topped their group stage after winning 1-0 against Gambia,[2] drawing 0-0 with Ghana, and defeating Tanzania 2-0.[3] Their campaign ended after losing to Tunisia on penalties.[4]

In the 2025 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations, Morocco did very well in the group stage and finished first in their group. They started by beating Kenya 3-2 in an exciting match.[5] Then, they played a tough game against Nigeria that ended in a 0-0 draw.[6] In their last group match, they won 3-1 against Tunisia.[7] These results helped them move on to the knockout stage as the top team in their group. In the quarterfinal, Morocco beat Sierra Leone 1-0 in extra time.[8] Then, in the semifinal, they defeated Egypt 1-0 to reach the final.[9] In the final, Morocco lost 1-0 to first time champions South Africa.[10]

In the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup, Morocco advanced to the knockout stages after finishing first in their group. They defeated Spain 2-0 and Brazil 2-1,[11][12] but lost to Mexico 1-0.[13] In the Round of 16 they beat South Korea 2-1.[14] In the quarterfinals they defeated the USA 3-1.[15]In the semifinal on 15 October 2025, they beat France on penalties, securing a place in the World Cup final for the first time in their history.[16] On 20 October 2025, Morocco defeated Argentina 2–0 in the final, claiming their first-ever world title, the first for the Arab World and the second for Africa, after Ghana's triumph in 2009.[17][18]

On 22 October 2025, Crown Prince Moulay Hassan hosted the national team at the royal palace to honor their World Cup victory.[19]

At the 2025 CAF Awards, the Morocco under-20 national team was named the Best National Team of the Year, becoming the first non-senior national side to receive the honour.[20]

Players

Current squad

The following players were named in the squad for the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup between 27 September – 19 October 2025.[21]

Caps and goals are correct as of 1 October 2025, after the match against Brazil.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Yanis Benchaouch (2006-04-10) 10 April 2006 18 0 French Football Federation Monaco
12 1GK Ibrahim Gomis (2005-03-20) 20 March 2005 2 0 French Football Federation Marseille
16 1GK Hakim Mesbahi (2005-09-07) 7 September 2005 18 0 Royal Moroccan Football Federation AS FAR
2 2DF Hamza Koutoune (2006-09-17) 17 September 2006 15 0 French Football Federation Annecy
3 2DF Ali Maamar (2005-03-23) 23 March 2005 24 0 Royal Belgian Football Association Anderlecht
4 2DF Ismaël Baouf (2006-09-17) 17 September 2006 12 1 Royal Dutch Football Association Cambuur
13 2DF Taha Majni (2007-10-11) 11 October 2007 4 0 Royal Moroccan Football Federation Union Touarga
15 2DF Fouad Zahouani (2006-04-18) 18 April 2006 16 0 Royal Moroccan Football Federation Union Touarga
19 2DF Smail Bakhty (2006-11-29) 29 November 2006 14 2 Austrian Football Association Sturm Graz
20 2DF Mohammed Kebdani (2006-05-13) 13 May 2006 1 0 Royal Moroccan Football Federation AS FAR
5 3MF Anas Tajaouart (2005-09-07) 7 September 2005 12 1 Royal Belgian Football Association Anderlecht
6 3MF Naïm Byar (2005-02-23) 23 February 2005 11 1 Italian Football Federation Foggia
8 3MF Hossam Essadak (2005-07-30) 30 July 2005 20 1 Royal Moroccan Football Federation Union de Touarga
10 3MF Saad El Haddad (2005-07-24) 24 July 2005 19 7 Italian Football Federation Venezia
18 3MF Yassine Khalifi (2005-08-09) 9 August 2005 28 3 Royal Belgian Football Association Sporting Charleroi
7 4FW Othmane Maamma (2005-10-06) 6 October 2005 23 5 The Football Association Watford
9 4FW Younes El Bahraoui (2005-01-04) 4 January 2005 4 1 Royal Moroccan Football Federation KAC Marrakech
11 4FW Ilias Boumassaoudi (2005-01-14) 14 January 2005 19 5 Royal Dutch Football Association Den Bosch
14 4FW Mohamed Hamony (2006-08-05) 5 August 2006 3 0 Royal Spanish Football Federation Girona B
17 4FW Gessime Yassine (2005-11-22) 22 November 2005 11 3 French Football Federation Dunkerque
21 4FW Yassir Zabiri (2005-02-23) 23 February 2005 25 16 Portuguese Football Federation Famalicão

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up for the Morocco U-20 squad in the last 12 months and remain eligible.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
DF Abdelhamid Aït Boudlal (2006-04-16) 16 April 2006 6 0 France Amiens 2025 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations
DF Ahmed Khatir (2005-03-14) 14 March 2005 22 0 Belgium Beveren 2025 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations
DF Naoufel El Hannach (2006-12-07) 7 December 2006 5 1 France Paris Saint-Germain 2025 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations
DF Juliën Mesbahi (2006-01-31) 31 January 2006 2 0 Netherlands Twente 2025 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations
DF Issa Habri (2006-01-06) 6 January 2006 0 0 France Rennes 2025 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations
MF Reda Laalaoui (2005-05-11) 11 May 2005 24 6 England Hull City 2025 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations
MF Anas El Makkaoui (2005-04-09) 9 April 2005 14 1 Morocco FUS Rabat 2025 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations
MF Ismaël Aouad (2006-05-22) 22 May 2006 6 2 France Lens 2025 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations
MF Amine Boukamir (2006-10-23) 23 October 2006 3 0 Belgium Royal Charleroi 2025 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations
FW Ayman Arguigue (2005-05-11) 11 May 2005 11 5 Spain Huesca 2025 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations
FW Mouad Dahak (2005-07-22) 22 July 2005 20 8 Morocco Union de Touarga 2025 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations
FW Jones El-Abdellaoui (2006-01-12) 12 January 2006 0 0 Spain Celta Vigo 2025 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations
FW Adnane Kharroubi (2006-08-03) 3 August 2006 1 1 France Caen 2025 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations
FW Adam Boayar (2005-10-13) 13 October 2005 11 1 Spain Elche 2025 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations

Previous squads

FIFA U-20 World Cup

FIFA U-20 World Cup
Year Result GP W D L GS GA
Tunisia 1977 Group stage 3 0 0 3 0 6
Japan 1979 Did not qualify
Australia 1981
Mexico 1983
Soviet Union 1985
Chile 1987
Saudi Arabia 1989
Portugal 1991
Australia 1993
Qatar 1995
Malaysia 1997 Round of 16 4 1 2 1 5 4
Nigeria 1999 Did not qualify
Argentina 2001
United Arab Emirates 2003
Netherlands 2005 Fourth Place 7 3 1 3 11 10
Canada 2007 Did not qualify
Egypt 2009
Colombia 2011
Turkey 2013
New Zealand 2015
South Korea 2017
Poland 2019
Argentina 2023
Chile 2025 Champions 7 5 1 1 12 5
AzerbaijanUzbekistan 2027 To be determined
Total 4/25 21 9 4 8 28 25

U-20 Africa Cup of Nations

U-20 Africa Cup of Nations
Year Result GP W D L GS GA
1979 Second round 2 0 1 1 0 2
1981 First round 2 1 0 1 1 1
1983 Quarterfinals 4 2 1 1 7 3
1985 Quarterfinals 4 2 1 1 4 3
1987 Semifinals 6 4 0 2 10 4
1989 First Round 2 1 0 1 2 2
Egypt 1991 Did not qualify
Mauritius 1993 Group stage 3 1 0 2 4 6
Nigeria 1995 Did not qualify
Morocco 1997 Winner 5 3 1 1 5 2
Ghana 1999 Did not qualify
Ethiopia 2001
Burkina Faso 2003 Group stage 3 0 1 2 0 5
Benin 2005 Fourth Place 5 2 3 0 8 5
Republic of the Congo 2007 Did not qualify
Rwanda 2009
South Africa 2011
Algeria 2013
Senegal 2015
Zambia 2017
Niger 2019
Mauritania 2021 Quarterfinals 4 2 2 0 4 0
Egypt 2023 Did not qualify
Egypt 2025 Runners-up 6 4 1 1 13 8
Total 12/23 46 22 11 13 58 41

Tournament Records

UNAF U-20 Tournament record

UNAF U-20 Tournament
Appearances: 15 / 18
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA
Tunisia 2005 did not participate
Egypt 2006 Runners-up 2 4 2 2 0 ? ?
Libya 2007 Fourth Place 4 3 1 0 2 2 4
Morocco 2008 Fourth Place 4 4 2 0 2 5 4
Libya 2009 Third Place 3 3 2 0 1 3 3
Libya 2010 Fourth Place 4 3 0 2 1 2 4
Libya 2011 Fourth Place 4 3 0 1 2 0 4
Algeria 2012 Third Place 3 2 1 0 1 3 3
Algeria 2012 Third Place 3 3 1 1 1 4 4
Libya 2014 Runner-up 2 2 1 0 1 3 3
Tunisia 2015 Winner 1 2 2 0 0 5 2
Mauritania 2016 canceled
Tunisia 2019 Fourth Place 4 4 1 2 1 3 4
Tunisia 2020 Winner 1 3 1 2 0 2 1
Tunisia 2021 withdrew
Egypt 2022 Third Place 3 1 1 1 2 1 4
Tunisia 2023 Runner-up 4 2 1 1 12 7 7
Egypt 2024 Winner 1 4 3 1 0 9 3
Total w 3 47 20 13 14 54? 47?

Arab Cup U-20 record

Arab Cup U-20
Appearances: 8 / 8
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA
Morocco 1983 Third Place 3rd 7 5 1 1 9 3
Algeria 1985 Group stage 11th 2 0 1 1 0 2
Iraq 1989 Champions 1st 6 5 1 0 14 4
Sudan 1992 Cancelled
Morocco 2011 Champions 1st 5 3 2 0 6 3
Jordan 2012 Group stage 6th 3 1 1 1 3 3
Qatar 2014 Cancelled
Saudi Arabia 2020 Semi-finals 4th 5 4 0 1 12 7
Egypt 2021 Quarter-finals 5th 4 3 1 0 16 2
Saudi Arabia 2022 Quarter-finals 6th 3 2 0 1 6 4
Iraq 2026 To be determined
Egypt 2028
Total Best: Champions 2nd 35 23 7 5 66 28

Mediterranean Games

Year Round Position GP W D* L GS GA
Greece 1991 Bronze Medal 3rd 3 2 0 1 6 3
France 1993 Group stage 9th 2 0 1 1 0 2
Italy 1997 did not enter
Tunisia 2001 Group stage 8th 2 1 0 1 6 4
Spain 2005 Fourth Place 4th 5 1 2 2 3 3
Italy 2009 withdrew
Turkey 2013 Gold Medal 1st 5 4 1 0 12 5
Spain 2018 Bronze Medal 3rd 4 1 2 1 5 5
Algeria 2022 Bronze Medal 3rd 5 2 1 2 8 6
Italy 2026 To be determined
Kosovo 2030
Total 1 Title 7/9 25 11 7 8 40 28

Jeux de la Francophonie

Football at the Jeux de la Francophonie record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA
Morocco 1989 Silver Medal 2nd 5 3 1 1 10 7
France 1994 Fourth Place 4th 4 2 0 2 5 6
Madagascar 1997 did not enter
Canada 2001 Gold Medal 1st 6 3 3 0 12 3
Niger 2005 Group Stage 9th 3 1 0 2 4 4
Lebanon 2009 Bronze Medal 3rd 4 3 0 1 6 3
France 2013 Silver Medal 2nd 4 1 1 2 4 4
Ivory Coast 2017 Gold Medal 1st 5 3 2 0 13 1
Democratic Republic of the Congo 2023 did not enter
Armenia 2027 To be determined
Total 2 Titles 7/9 31 16 7 8 54 28

Head-to-head record

The following table shows Morocco's head-to-head record in the FIFA U-20 World Cup.

Honours

International

1st place, gold medalist(s) Champions: 2025

Continental

1st place, gold medalist(s) Champions: 1997
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runners-up: 2025
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Third Place: 1987

Regional

1st place, gold medalist(s) Champions: 1989, 2011
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Third Place: 1983
1st place, gold medalist(s) Champions: 2013
1st place, gold medalist(s) Gold Medalists (1): 2013
1st place, gold medalist(s) Gold Medalists (2): 2001, 2017
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Silver Medal: 1989, 2013
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Bronze Medal: 2009

Qualifying tournament

1st place, gold medalist(s) Champions: 2015, 2020, 2024
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runners-up: 2006, 2014, 2023
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Third Place: 2008, 2009, 2012, 2022

References

  1. ^ "2020 UNAF U-20 Tournament: Morocco Qualifies for Africa U-20 Cup of Nations Following Draw with Libya". MapNews. 24 December 2020. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  2. ^ "U-20 Africa Cup of Nations: Morocco Defeats Gambia 1-0 in Group C". HESPRESS English. 2021-02-16. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  3. ^ "U20 AFCON: Morocco To Face Tunisia in Quart-Finals". HESPRESS English. 2021-02-23. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  4. ^ "U20 Africa Cup of Nations: Morocco Loses to Tunisia in Quarter-Final". HESPRESS English. 2021-02-26. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  5. ^ EL MASAITI, Amira (2025-05-04). "Morocco's U20 team set for key clash with Nigeria after win over Kenya". HESPRESS English. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  6. ^ EL MASAITI, Amira (2025-05-04). "U20 National team, Nigeria play to draw at Africa U-20 Cup of Nations". HESPRESS English. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  7. ^ EL MASAITI, Amira EL (2025-05-07). "Morocco advances to U-20 Africa Cup quarterfinals with 3-1 win over Tunisia". HESPRESS English. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  8. ^ EL MASAITI, Amira (2025-05-12). "Morocco U-20 team reaches AFCON semifinals and qualifies for 2025 World Cup". HESPRESS English. Retrieved 2025-05-16.
  9. ^ EL MASAITI, Amira (2025-05-15). "Morocco U20 team secures AFCON final after beating Egypt 1-0". HESPRESS English. Retrieved 2025-05-16.
  10. ^ "South Africa crowned U-20 AFCON champions after historic win over Morocco". South Africa crowned U-20 AFCON champions after historic win over Morocco. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
  11. ^ "Morocco end 20-year wait with famous win over Spain at U-20 World Cup". Morocco end 20-year wait with famous win over Spain at U-20 World Cup. Retrieved 2025-10-13.
  12. ^ EL MASAITI, Amira (2025-10-02). "Morocco U20 players hail victory over Brazil, eye Mexico clash". HESPRESS English. Retrieved 2025-10-13.
  13. ^ EL MASAITI, Amira (2025-10-04). "Morocco U-20s fall to Mexico 1-0 but advance as group leaders at FIFA U-20 World Cup". HESPRESS English. Retrieved 2025-10-13.
  14. ^ EL MASAITI, Amira (2025-10-10). "World Cup-U20: Morocco eliminates South Korea (2-1), advances to quarterfinals". HESPRESS English. Retrieved 2025-10-13.
  15. ^ EL MASAITI, Amira (2025-10-12). "Morocco U20 team advances to World Cup semifinals after 3-1 victory over USA in Chile". HESPRESS English. Retrieved 2025-10-13.
  16. ^ EL MASAITI, Amira (2025-10-15). "Morocco beats France on penalties to reach U20 World Cup final". HESPRESS English. Retrieved 2025-10-16.
  17. ^ EL MASAITI, Amira (2025-10-20). "Morocco beat Argentina 2–0 to win first-ever U20 World Cup title in Chile". HESPRESS English. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
  18. ^ "Morocco crowned world champions at the FIFA U-20 World Cup". Morocco crowned world champions at the FIFA U-20 World Cup. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
  19. ^ MASAITI, Amira EL (2025-10-22). "U-20 National Team players express deep gratitude to King for his solicitude toward youth". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
  20. ^ Toutate, Issam (2025-11-19). "CAF Awards: Morocco's U20 Team Crowned Africa's National Team of the Year". Morocco World News. Retrieved 2025-11-19.
  21. ^ "السيد محمد وهبي يستدعي 21 لاعبا للمشاركة في كأس العالم لأقل من 20 سنة" (in Arabic). الجامعة الملكية المغربية لكرة القدم. 19 September 2025. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  22. ^ "Coupe/Jeux de la Francophonie". Rsssf. Archived from the original on 6 October 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
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