Morocco’s U17 national team continued their impressive run in the North African Football Union (UNAF) Championship with a hard-fought 2–1 victory over Egypt in the third round of the competition, currently taking place in Libya.
From the opening whistle, the young Atlas Cubs showed their intent, putting immediate pressure on the Egyptian defense. Morocco nearly found an early breakthrough in the eighth minute after creating a dangerous attacking move that tested Egypt’s back line.
Their persistence eventually paid off in the 24th minute when Ramy Loqmani opened the scoring following a well-worked team attack, giving Morocco a deserved lead. However, Egypt responded before the break, finding an equalizer in the 42nd minute to send the two sides into halftime level at 1–1.
In the second half, Morocco maintained their attacking momentum and continued searching for a winning goal. Their efforts were finally rewarded in the 84th minute when Adnan El Bajoufi found the net, securing a late winner and sealing Morocco’s third consecutive victory in the tournament.
The result perfectly illustrates Morocco’s dominance in the competition so far. The team began their campaign with a 2–0 win over Tunisia before following it up with a 3–0 victory against Algeria.
The tournament, held in Benghazi, features five teams — Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia — in a round-robin format. The top three sides qualify for the U-17 AFCON 2026.
Although Morocco are already qualified as hosts, these matches remain important to build rhythm, test players, and establish dominance at the regional level.
Three matches, three wins, one goal conceded, and now seven scored, it’s a tournament the team hoped for.
With maximum points from three matches, Morocco head into their final qualifying fixture full of confidence. The Atlas Cubs are set to face hosts Libya next Sunday at the Martyrs of Benina Stadium, with kickoff scheduled for 14:00 (GMT+1).