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

Nickname(s)	The Atlas Lions
Association	Royal Moroccan Football Federation
Confederation	CAF (Africa)
Head coach	Mohamed Ouahbi
Home stadium	Various
FIFA code	MAR
First colours Second colours
U-20 Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances	11 (first in 1979 )
Best result	Winners (1997)
Arab Cup U-20
Appearances	8 (first in 1983 )
Best result	Winners (1989, 2011)
FIFA U-20 World Cup
Appearances	3 (first in 1977 )
Best result	Semi-final (2005)
Medal record U-20 Africa Cup of Nations 1997 Morocco Arab Cup U-20 1989 Iraq 2011 Morocco 1983 Morocco Mediterranean Games 2013 Mersin Islamic Solidarity Games 2013 Palembang 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]

Players

Current squad

The following players were named in the squad for the 2025 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations between 27 April – 18 May 2025. ^[10]

Caps and goals are correct as of 1 May 2025, after the match against Kenya.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1 GK	Yanis Benchaouch	(2006-04-10) 10 April 2006 (age 19)	10	0	Monaco
12	1 GK	Hakim Mesbahi	(2005-09-07) 7 September 2005 (age 19)	17	0	AS FAR
16	1 GK	Ibrahim Gomis	(2005-03-20) 20 March 2005 (age 20)	1	0	Marseille
2	2 DF	Hamza Koutoune	(2006-09-17) 17 September 2006 (age 18)	9	0	Nice
3	2 DF	Ismaël Baouf	(2006-09-17) 17 September 2006 (age 18)	5	1	Anderlecht
4	2 DF	Abdelhamid Aït Boudlal	(2006-04-16) 16 April 2006 (age 19)	6	0	Amiens
13	2 DF	Ahmed Khatir	(2005-03-14) 14 March 2005 (age 20)	22	0	Beveren
15	2 DF	Fouad Zahouani	(2006-04-18) 18 April 2006 (age 19)	8	0	Union de Touarga
18	2 DF	Naoufel El Hannach	(2006-12-07) 7 December 2006 (age 18)	5	1	Paris Saint-Germain
19	2 DF	Smail Bakhty	(2006-11-29) 29 November 2006 (age 18)	7	1	Sturm Graz
20	2 DF	Juliën Mesbahi	(2006-01-31) 31 January 2006 (age 19)	2	0	Twente
25	2 DF	Issa Habri	(2006-01-06) 6 January 2006 (age 19)	0	0	Rennes
5	3 MF	Reda Laalaoui	(2005-05-11) 11 May 2005 (age 20)	24	6	Hull City
6	3 MF	Anas El Makkaoui	(2005-04-09) 9 April 2005 (age 20)	14	1	FUS Rabat
8	3 MF	Hossam Essadak	(2005-07-30) 30 July 2005 (age 20)	12	1	Union de Touarga
14	3 MF	Ismaël Aouad	(2006-05-22) 22 May 2006 (age 19)	6	2	Lens
24	3 MF	Saad El Haddad	(2005-07-24) 24 July 2005 (age 20)	12	7	Venezia
26	3 MF	Amine Boukamir	(2006-10-23) 23 October 2006 (age 18)	3	0	Royal Charleroi
7	4 FW	Othmane Maamma	(2005-10-06) 6 October 2005 (age 19)	16	4	Montpellier
9	4 FW	Ayman Arguigue	(2005-05-11) 11 May 2005 (age 20)	11	5	Huesca
10	4 FW	Mouad Dahak	(2005-07-22) 22 July 2005 (age 20)	20	8	Union de Touarga
11	4 FW	Ilias Boumassaoudi	(2005-01-14) 14 January 2005 (age 20)	12	4	Den Bosch
17	4 FW	Jones El-Abdellaoui	(2006-01-12) 12 January 2006 (age 19)	0	0	Celta Vigo
21	4 FW	Yassir Zabiri	(2005-02-23) 23 February 2005 (age 20)	22	14	Famalicão
22	4 FW	Adnane Kharroubi	(2006-08-03) 3 August 2006 (age 19)	1	1	Caen
23	4 FW	Adam Boayar	(2005-10-13) 13 October 2005 (age 19)	11	1	Elche

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

Previous squads

FIFA World Youth Championship squads 1977 FIFA WYC 1997 FIFA WYC 2005 FIFA WYC

Africa U-20 Cup of Nations squads 2005 AYC squad 2021 CAN U-20 squad

FIFA World Cup U-20

FIFA U-20 World Cup
Year	Result	GP	W	D	L	GS	GA
1977	Group stage	3	0	0	3	0	6
1979	Did not qualify
1981
1983
1985
1987
1989
1991
1993
1995
1997	Round of 16	4	1	2	1	5	4
1999	Did not qualify
2001
2003
2005	Fourth Place	7	3	1	3	11	10
2007	Did not qualify
2009
2011
2013
2015
2017
2019
2021	canceled
2023	Did not qualify
2025	Qualified
Total	4/22	14	4	3	7	16	20

Africa U-20 Cup of Nations

Africa U-20 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
1991	Did not qualify
1993	Group stage	3	1	0	2	4	6
1995	Did not qualify
1997	Winner	5	3	1	1	5	2
1999	Did not qualify
2001
2003	Group stage	3	0	1	2	0	5
2005	Fourth Place	5	2	3	0	8	5
2007	Did not qualify
2009
2011
2013
2015
2017
2019
2021	Quarterfinals	4	2	2	0	4	0
2023	Did not qualify
2025	Qualified
Total	12/23	40	18	10	12	45	33

Tournament Records

UNAF U-20 Tournament record

UNAF U-20 Tournament
Appearances: 15 / 18
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
2005	did not participate
2006	Runners-up	2	4	2	2	0	?	?
2007	Fourth Place	4	3	1	0	2	2	4
2008	Fourth Place	4	4	2	0	2	5	4
2009	Third Place	3	3	2	0	1	3	3
2010	Fourth Place	4	3	0	2	1	2	4
2011	Fourth Place	4	3	0	1	2	0	4
2012	Third Place	3	2	1	0	1	3	3
2012	Third Place	3	3	1	1	1	4	4
2014	Runner-up	2	2	1	0	1	3	3
2015	Winner	1	2	2	0	0	5	2
2016	canceled
2019	Fourth Place	4	4	1	2	1	3	4
2020	Winner	1	3	1	2	0	2	1
2021	withdrew
2022	Third Place	3	1	1	1	2	1	4
2023	Runner-up	4	2	1	1	12	7	7
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
1983	Third Place	3rd	7	5	1	1	9	3
1985	Group stage	11th	2	0	1	1	0	2
1989	Champions	1st	6	5	1	0	14	4
1992	Cancelled
2011	Champions	1st	5	3	2	0	6	3
2012	Group stage	6th	3	1	1	1	3	3
2014	Cancelled
2020	Semi-finals	4th	5	4	0	1	12	7
2021	Quarter-finals	5th	4	3	1	0	16	2
2022	Quarter-finals	6th	3	2	0	1	6	4
Total	Best: Champions	2nd	35	23	7	5	66	28

Mediterranean Games

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

UNAF U-18 Tournament

UNAF U-18 Tournament
Appearances: 2 / 2
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
2017	Runners-up	2	3	1	1	1	3	3
2019	Winner	1	4	3	1	0	7	1
Total	w	1	7	4	2	1	10	4

Jeux de la Francophonie

Football at the Jeux de la Francophonie record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1989	Silver Medal	2nd	5	3	1	1	10	7
1994	Fourth Place	4th	4	2	0	2	5	6
1997	did not enter
2001	Gold Medal	1st	6	3	3	0	12	3
2005	Group Stage	9th	3	1	0	2	4	4
2009	Bronze Medal	3rd	4	3	0	1	6	3
2013	Silver Medal	2nd	4	1	1	2	4	4
2017	Gold Medal	1st	5	3	2	0	13	1
2023	did not enter
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.

Opponent	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %
Belgium	1	0	1	0	1	1	+0	000.00
Brazil	1	0	0	1	1	2	−1	000.00
Chile	1	1	0	0	1	0	+1	100.00
Honduras	2	1	0	1	5	1	+4	050.00
Hungary	1	0	0	1	0	2	−2	000.00
Italy	1	0	1	0	2	2	+0	000.00
Japan	1	1	0	0	1	0	+1	100.00
Malaysia	1	1	0	0	3	1	+2	100.00
Nigeria	1	0	0	1	0	3	−3	000.00
Republic of Ireland	1	0	0	1	1	2	−1	000.00
Spain	1	0	0	1	1	3	−2	000.00
Uruguay	2	0	1	1	0	3	−3	000.00
Total	14	4	3	7	16	20	−4	028.57

Honours

• African Youth Championship:
  • Winners (1): 1997
  • Second Place: 2025
  • Third Place: 1987
  • Fourth Place: 2005
• Arab Cup U-20:
  • Winners (2): 1989, 2011
  • Third Place: 1983
• Mediterranean Games:
  • Winners (1): 2013
• UNAF U-20 Tournament:
  • Winners (3): 2015, 2020, 2024
• Islamic Solidarity Games
  • Gold Medalists (1): 2013
• Jeux de la Francophonie ^[11]
  • Gold Medalists (2): 2001, 2017
  • Silver Medal: 1989, 2013
  • Bronze Medal: 2009

References

1. "2020 UNAF U-20 Tournament: Morocco Qualifies for Africa U-20 Cup of Nations Following Draw with Libya | MapNews". www.mapnews.ma. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
2. "U-20 Africa Cup of Nations: Morocco Defeats Gambia 1-0 in Group C". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. 2021-02-16. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
3. "U20 AFCON: Morocco To Face Tunisia in Quart-Finals". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. 2021-02-23. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
4. "U20 Africa Cup of Nations: Morocco Loses to Tunisia in Quarter-Final". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. 2021-02-26. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
5. MASAITI, Amira EL (2025-05-04). "Morocco's U20 team set for key clash with Nigeria after win over Kenya". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
6. MASAITI, Amira EL (2025-05-04). "U20 National team, Nigeria play to draw at Africa U-20 Cup of Nations". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
7. MASAITI, Amira EL (2025-05-07). "Morocco advances to U-20 Africa Cup quarterfinals with 3-1 win over Tunisia". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
8. MASAITI, Amira EL (2025-05-12). "Morocco U-20 team reaches AFCON semifinals and qualifies for 2025 World Cup". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. Retrieved 2025-05-16.
9. MASAITI, Amira EL (2025-05-15). "Morocco U20 team secures AFCON final after beating Egypt 1-0". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. Retrieved 2025-05-16.
10. "Morocco Under 20". Confederation of African Football. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
11. "Coupe/Jeux de la Francophonie". Rsssf. Archived from the original on 6 October 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2022.