Egypt’s qualification hopes delayed after Morocco defeat in North Africa U-20 qualifiers

Egypt’s qualification for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations has been delayed after the Young Pharaohs were beaten 2-0 by Morocco in the fourth round of the North Africa qualifiers.

The result moved Morocco to the top of the group on seven points, with Egypt second on six. Algeria are third with four points, followed by Tunisia on three, while Libya have one point at the bottom.

Adam Baallal and Sami Bouhoudane scored both of Morocco’s goals before half-time.

Baallal opened the scoring in the 25th minute, heading home from a cross delivered following a free-kick. Bouhoudane doubled Morocco’s lead eight minutes later after breaking forward from the right and finishing inside the penalty area.

Egypt attempted to recover after the interval but were unable to produce the result required to regain control of the contest.

A victory over Morocco would have secured Egypt’s direct qualification with one round of the competition still to play. Instead, Wael Riad’s side must now avoid defeat against Algeria in their final match to guarantee a place at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Egypt will qualify directly with either a win or a draw in that game. Morocco, meanwhile, will face Libya in their final fixture.

The North Africa qualifying tournament features Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria and Libya, with the top two teams earning qualification for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.

The tournament is scheduled to take place in Ghana in February 2027.

The Africa Cup of Nations will also determine the teams that progress to the next Under-20 World Cup, with four nations qualifying from the continental competition.

The next Under-20 World Cup will be hosted jointly by Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan in May and June 2027, with 24 teams taking part.