2027 U20 AFCON: Egypt beats Algeria (2-0) and finishes first, Morocco qualifies despite defeat

The curtain fell on the UNAF tournament on October 6, 2026, at the Ismailia Stadium in Egypt. The hosts beat Algeria 2-0 and finished first with nine points, while Libya defeated Morocco 3-2 without preventing the Atlas Lion Cubs from securing the second North African ticket for the 2027 U20 Africa Cup of Nations, hosted in Ghana.

Algeria pays for its early matches

For Algeria, a win was necessary. The Egyptian victory, according to Le Brief, definitively closed the door: the Greens leave the tournament, as do Tunisia and Libya. The North African zone qualifiers took place from September 24 to October 6, 2026, with five nations competing for two spots in a round-robin format of four matches per team.

Morocco defeated, but already qualified

In the other match, the Moroccans fell 3-2 to Libya. Khalid Kasbi (16th minute) and Mohamed Mounssef (78th minute) scored for Morocco, reports APA News. The defeat remained inconsequential: qualification had been secured the previous matchday, on October 4, thanks to a 2-0 success against Egypt courtesy of Adam Baallal (25th minute) and Sami Bouhoudane (34th minute).

In total, Morocco finishes the tournament in second place with seven points, following a 0-0 draw against Tunisia, a 3-1 victory over Algeria, and that landmark success against Egypt, details APA News. Egypt, beaten only once in four outings, therefore finishes at the top despite this stumble.

Heading to Ghana

The U20 AFCON is one of the most followed events on the continent's youth calendar, because it reveals players each time who, eighteen months later, wear the jerseys of the senior national teams. Accra will therefore welcome Egypt and Morocco among the representatives of North Africa.

It remains for the other zones to designate their qualifiers. For Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya, the work begins again: the work of development, which cannot be made up for in a single international window.