The curtain will finally come down for the total cafe U20 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) tournament when South Africa confronts Morocco in the final in the Stadium of 30 June in Cairo on Sunday 18 May.
In the history of the tournament organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), South Africa and Morocco will meet in the final for the second time. The two parties were opposed to the final of the 1997 edition, which won Morocco 1-0 to seal their first and only U20 Afcon Crown.
Now, almost three decades later, the Young Atlas Lions will reclaim that historical success, while Amajita in South Africa will be determined to turn the tables and claim their first continental title at this level of the AFCON matches.
South Africa qualified for the final after a 1-0 semi-final victory against seven-time champions Nigeria on Thursday. A well-driven header from Tylon Smith in the 66th minute turned out to be decisive in a brightly disputed match between two of the traditional football weather pies from Africa, so that the hope of Nigeria ended a record-expanding eighth U20 AFCon title.
In the meantime, Morocco made their ticket to the final after eliminating hosts Egypt with 1-0 in the other semi-final collision. During the closely fought battle, replacement Jones El Abdellaoui offered the Sukkel for Egypt and found the back of the net in the 77th minute. The striker locked on a well-delivered cross of Ismaël Aouad to quietly throw home and give the young Atlas Lions what turned out to be the winner in the North African derby.
How did South Africa and Morocco in the group stage
Amajita led by coach Raymond Mdaka and went into the tournament in group A next to Egypt, Tanzania, Sierra Leone and Zambia. They started their campaign with a 1-0 defeat against Egypt, in which the North Africans scored in the 62nd minute thanks to Mohamed Abdallah to wear the day.
They tuned their poor start to dismiss Tanzania with 1-0 after Shakeel had scored April in the 27th minute, and the victory brought their hope in the group. They succeeded the Tanzania victory by hammering Sierra Leone 4-1.
The last match of Amajita ended in a 1-1 draw against Zambia, so they qualified in addition to Egypt to the quarter-final phase. In the quarters they were attracted to Dr. Congo, who was third in group C after collecting four points, the same as the second placed Senegal.
Against Congo, South Africa needed a dramatic 1-0 win in extra time to become the fourth and last nation to secure their place in the semi-final. Despite a 0-0 result in the regular time, the game broke into life during extra time when Thabang Mahlangu hit the decisive goal in the 109th minute.
The attacker was in the right place at the right time to tap up close after a precise cross of Shakeel April. In the end, South Africa was at the top of their group with seven points of two victories, one draw and one defeat. They scored six goals and admitted three.
In the meantime, Morocco was in group B next to Nigeria, Tunisia and Kenya, who made their first performance in the tournament. They started with a 3-2 draw against the rising stars of Kenya, pulled 0-0 against the flying eagles of Nigeria, before they had beaten Tunisia 3-1.
Morocco finished at the top of the group with seven points and booked a date with Sierra Leone in the last eight. It was not an easy path for Morocco against Debutanten Sierra Leone, because they had to fight and nail to secure the semi-final ticket.
The tense quarter-final collision in the Air Defense Stadium of 30 June in Cairo saw the North Africans dominate the procedure, but struggled to break down a determined Sierra Leone defense, which pushed Morocco completely before a cruel deflection played the draw.
The decisive moment arrived in the 115th minute when Keita unintentionally changed under pressure in his own network, giving Morocco a place in the last four and their qualification for the FIFA U20 World Cup in Chile sealed later this year.
In the semi-final, Morocco faced Egypt, which they defeated 1-0.
South Africa vs Morocco Match Facts
South Africa enters the final and has never defeated a North African opposition at the tournament and lost all five meetings. In addition to the 1997 final when they lost against Morocco, they sustained four 1-0 defeats for Egypt in the group phases of 2001, 2009, 2011 and 2025. All five defeats were by a single goal, with four ending 1-0.
Meanwhile, Morocco has a perfect record against South African teams, after he has defeated South Africa in the last and secure group stage victories on Lesotho (2-0) and Angola (1-0) in 2005. A victory for Amajita in the final in the final she would on the 12th nation to the South Afa in 2017.
It would also mark the second consecutive edition to crown a first winner, after the triumph of Senegal in 2023. In fact, four of the last five winners have lifted the trophy for the first time.
In each of the three editions where a North African team reached the final at Home Soil (1991, 1997 and 2013), they won the title. The 2025 final is only the second, after 1997, with a South African team against a North African team, and the first final since 1997 without a West African participant.
What have both coaches said?
Speaking after they qualified for the final, Amajita's Mdaka said: “Yes, another victory, congratulations to the boys. What a good job, good character, very disciplined, sticking to the similarities, tactical, technical. We really appreciate it.
“As much as it was not easy, our boys grow in every competition, grow in character and grow in everything. Thank you very much and well done boys and well done for the country.”
South Africa Manager Mdakasafa Media
Meanwhile, Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi, for the latter, praised his opponents, South Africa, and called them 'a fierce competitor', and also emphasized the need for his team to quickly recover from the semi-final victory and to remain focused for the game.
“The most important game has not been played yet,” he said. “The final is still running ahead and it will be against a South African team that has shown high quality during the tournament.
“We have a lot of respect for the South African team. They are strong, organized and they don't give anything away. We celebrate tonight, but then rest, repair and plan for the biggest match of our lives.”
Ouahbi concluded: “We have taken a long way, but we have to prove now that we are the best. His final for that.”
Before the final, however, there will be an early play -off competition to decide who ends third with Nigeria who will be set up on Egypt at the Stadium of 30 June in Cairo.
Follow the final on Sunday, May 18 at 20:00 CET
Dennis Mabukaflash score