Morocco beat Egypt to qualify as decisive Algeria clash looms

Morocco secured their place at the Africa Under-20 Cup of Nations with a 2-0 win over Egypt in the fourth round of the North Africa qualifiers in Ismailia on Saturday.

Adam Baallal opened the scoring after 25 minutes at the Suez Canal Authority Stadium, before Sami Bouhoudane doubled Morocco’s advantage eight minutes later.

The result lifted Morocco to seven points at the top of the qualifying table and confirmed their place at the finals in Ghana. Egypt remain on six points and have slipped to second.

Egypt’s final match against Algeria on Tuesday will decide which team takes the second qualifying place from the region.

A draw would be enough for Egypt to secure qualification, while Algeria must win to overtake them. The Desert Warriors currently have four points.

Tunisia and Libya can no longer qualify after both sides lost ground in the race for the two available places. Tunisia have three points, while Libya have one.

Libya will complete their campaign against Morocco in the final round, while Tunisia will not play on that matchday.

The North Africa qualifiers are being held in Ismailia from 24 September to 6 October 2026, with Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya taking part.

The top two teams in the group will qualify for the Africa Under-20 Cup of Nations, which will be staged in Ghana.