In a landmark achievement for African football, Morocco captured the FIFA Under-20 World Cup title for the first time in its history after defeating Argentina 2-0 in the final held early Monday at the Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos in Santiago, Chile.
Yasser Zebiri, the Portuguese club Famalicão striker, starred for the Atlas Cubs, scoring both goals in the 12th and 29th minutes. With five goals in total, Zebiri finished as joint top scorer of the tournament alongside Benjamin Cremaschi (USA), Niser Villarreal (Colombia), and Luka Michal (France).
This remarkable triumph marks Morocco’s first-ever appearance in a U-20 World Cup final, surpassing its previous best performance of reaching the semifinals in the 2005 edition held in the Netherlands.
The victory also denied Argentina the chance to extend its record haul of six titles. On their way to glory, the Atlas Cubs produced a sensational run, knocking out several of football’s most established youth powerhouses, including: Spain (1999 champions) and Brazil (five-time winners) in the group stage; South Korea (Round of 16), USA (QFs), France (SFs) and finally, Argentina in the title decider.
With this historic win, Morocco became the first Arab and African nation to eliminate six major football nations in a single U-20 World Cup campaign — setting a new world record in the process.
The triumph highlights the emergence of a new golden generation in Moroccan football and reflects the nation’s growing investment in youth development and football infrastructure, placing it firmly among the sport’s rising global powers.
