Morocco face Egypt with little room for error in UNAF U17 qualifier

Morocco will look to recover from an opening-day defeat when they face Egypt in the second round of the UNAF U17 qualifiers for CAN U17 2027 in Tunisia on Friday.

The match will be played at Stade Olympique de Sousse, following Tunisia’s meeting with Algeria at the same venue. It is scheduled to begin at 17:00 local time in Tunisia and France on Friday, 13 November. Kick-off is 16:00 in Morocco and 18:00 in Egypt.

The game will be shown live on the UNAF YouTube channel.

Morocco began the four-team tournament with a 1-0 defeat by Algeria, a result that attracted particular attention because of the intense sporting rivalry between the two neighbouring countries.

The loss was also notable because Morocco have generally enjoyed the better record against Algeria at this age group in recent years. The result leaves Morocco bottom of the mini-league after the first round of matches.

Egypt, by contrast, made a winning start. They beat hosts Tunisia 2-1 and will secure qualification if they claim another victory in the second of the tournament’s three matchdays.

For Morocco, the competitive consequences are less straightforward. The country is due to host the next CAN U17 and is therefore theoretically qualified automatically, although the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has not clearly communicated the qualification regulations for the competition.

That lack of clarity has created uncertainty around the precise implications of the UNAF tournament. The expected arrangement is that Morocco and the two highest-placed teams will qualify for the finals, meaning only one side would be eliminated after Libya withdrew before the tournament began.

A second successive defeat would nevertheless be a damaging result for Morocco, who are the future hosts of CAN U17 and the holders of the UNAF U17 title.

The match represents the first opportunity for Nabil Baha’s side to respond to their setback against Algeria. Egypt will instead be seeking to build on their victory over Tunisia and strengthen their position at the top end of the standings.

With one team set to miss out under the anticipated qualification format, the meeting carries added importance despite Morocco’s likely automatic place as hosts.