Egypt U20s seal North Africa title as Abdel Monsef warns of limited preparation time

Egypt’s Under-20 team secured the North Africa title and qualified for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations in Ghana after beating Algeria 2-0 in the final round of matches.

Goalkeeping coach Mohamed Abdel Monsef described the tournament as valuable preparation for the continental finals, but said Egypt must quickly turn its attention to the next challenge.

“North Africa is a very strong tournament, with matches against Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria and Libya,” Abdel Monsef told On Sport after the victory.

“The tournament was a strong test ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations.”

He added: “I thank God for finishing top of the tournament and qualifying for the Africa Cup of Nations.”

“We will close the file on the qualifiers and start focusing on the Africa Cup of Nations because time is short,” Abdel Monsef said.

The next Africa Cup of Nations for Under-20 teams will be hosted by Ghana in February 2027.

Egypt’s North Africa tournament was held in Ismailia, with matches played at the Suez Canal Authority and Ismailia stadiums.

The title was Egypt’s fourth in the competition, following previous triumphs in 2006, 2008 and 2012. It also marked the first trophy of Wael Riad’s coaching career.

Egypt had finished third in the 2023 edition and runners-up in 2024 before winning this year’s tournament.

Their campaign began with a 2-0 victory over Libya, followed by a 2-1 win against Tunisia. They then lost 2-0 to Morocco before ending the competition with a 2-0 victory over Algeria.

Egypt finished first with nine points, two ahead of Morocco, who took second place and also qualified for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.

Algeria were third on four points, ahead of Libya on goal difference, while Tunisia finished bottom with three points.

Qualification means Egypt will appear at the Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations for a third consecutive edition and for the 20th time overall.