2027 U20 AFCON: Egypt leads alone in Ismailia, Egypt-Morocco clash set for October 3, 2026

Egypt is now the sole leader of the UNAF zone tournament, which serves as a qualifier for the 2027 U20 Africa Cup of Nations, following three matchdays held at the Suez Canal Stadium in Ismailia, Egypt. The Pharaohs have 6 points, ahead of Morocco and Algeria (4 points each), Tunisia (2), and Libya (0). Only the top two nations will secure their ticket to the final tournament, scheduled to take place in Ghana.

The third matchday on September 30, 2026, reshuffled the standings. Morocco secured a 3-1 victory over Algeria thanks to goals from Sami Bouhadan (53rd), Moncef Mohamed (56th), and Ilyas El Haidaoui (65th), with Amjad Niou narrowing the gap for the Greens in the 84th minute, reports Mafrique. In the other match, Egypt defeated Tunisia 2-1: Mohanad Elshamy opened the scoring with a penalty (16th), Mohamed Hamad doubled the lead (32nd), and Anisse Saïdi could only briefly revive the Carthage Eagles (66th), according to La Presse de Tunisie.

Five nations, one group, two tickets

The format leaves no room for error: five teams—host nation Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, and Libya—are competing in a single group in a round-robin format from September 24 to October 6, 2026, with each team playing four matches and having one rest day.

This Saturday, October 3, 2026, the Egypt-Morocco match holds much of the suspense: a Moroccan victory in Ismailia would completely reset the group hierarchy, while an Egyptian win would bring the Pharaohs significantly closer to qualification. At the same time, Tunisia will fight for its survival against Libya at 2:30 PM (Tunis time).

A youth pipeline that matters

For the five federations, the stakes go far beyond a continental final tournament. The U20 AFCON is one of the gateways to the U20 World Cup and, above all, a laboratory for senior national teams: most North African internationals currently shining in Europe have passed through these regional tournaments, which often fly under the radar. Morocco will conclude its campaign against Libya on October 6, 2026, also in Ismailia.