Ahmed Kantari appointed Morocco Under-17 head coach for home Africa Cup of Nations

Ahmed Kantari has been appointed head coach of Morocco Under-17s as the country prepares to host next year’s Africa Cup of Nations Under-17.

The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) confirmed the appointment in a statement on Tuesday, placing the former FC Nantes manager in charge of the Atlas Cubs.

Kantari, 41, won 15 senior caps for Morocco during his playing career and represented the national team as a central defender. He will now lead the Under-17 side in an attempt to regain the continental title Morocco lost to Senegal at the end of May.

The Franco-Moroccan coach holds a UEFA Pro Licence and will take charge of the young team at the tournament on home soil next year. His appointment forms part of the FRMF’s wider policy of placing greater trust in Moroccan football expertise and the country’s domestic coaching system.

“This appointment is fully in line with the strategy of the National Technical Directorate, which aims to strengthen the experience of its technical staff and benefit from Moroccan expertise, both as former players and as coaches,” the federation said.

Kantari began building his coaching career at Valenciennes. His work there was interrupted by spells with Nottingham Forest and Al Duhail before he moved on to Nantes.

He took charge of FC Nantes during the 2025-26 season, leading the club from December 2025 until March 2026 after the departure of Vahid Halilhodzic. The Under-17 role represents his latest move back into management as he turns his attention to Morocco’s youth international set-up.

The FRMF has recently pushed its policy of “Moroccanisation” further. A few days before Kantari’s appointment, it announced a ban preventing local academies and private football schools from adopting the names of foreign clubs.

That decision reflects the federation’s stated intention to give greater prominence to domestic structures, staff and football identities. Kantari’s promotion to the Under-17 position is the latest example of that approach, with the former international defender now tasked with preparing Morocco’s next generation for a major tournament in front of a home crowd.

Morocco will enter the competition seeking to recover the crown it surrendered to Senegal in May. Kantari’s experience as a former national-team player, together with his coaching background in Morocco and abroad, will form the basis of the federation’s decision to put him in charge of the campaign.