FIFA U17 World Cup: Ruthless Morocco torture New Caledonia with 16-0 victory in final group match

Morocco’s U17 side produced a sensational performance at the ongoing 2025 FIFA U-17 Men’s World Cup in Doha, Qatar, hammering New Caledonia 16-0 in their final group match.

The game also made headlines for coach Abdelhamid Baha’s use of FIFA’s new green card system to challenge a refereeing decision.

The North Africans completely dominated from start to finish, going into halftime with a 7–0 lead before adding nine more goals in the second half to record one of the biggest wins in the tournament’s history.

The turning point came in the 31st minute when New Caledonia’s Jean Canehmez was shown a yellow card, following an earlier red card for Typhan Dreuko in the 23rd minute.

Coach Baha used the green card to challenge the decision, prompting a review via FIFA’s Football Video Support (FVS) system. The review confirmed that Canehmez deserved a red card, reducing New Caledonia to nine men and leaving Morocco in full control.

With more space on the pitch, the Atlas Cubs attacked relentlessly. Bilal Soukrat (3′), Oualid Ibn Salah (11′, 18′), Abdelali Eddaoudi (41′, 43′), Ilyas Hidaoui (44′), and Ziyad Baha (45+2′) were all on target in the first half as Morocco recorded 73% possession, 12 shots, and eight corners. New Caledonia managed only two attempts on goal throughout the encounter.

The green card, part of FIFA’s trial Football Video Support system, allows coaches to challenge up to two decisions per match, including goals, penalties, red cards, and cases of mistaken identity. If the challenge is successful, the team retains its right to challenge again.

Morocco have become pioneers of the system, with their U20 coach, Mohamed Ouahbi, previously making history by using it to overturn a penalty against Spain last month.

The team has since used the feature multiple times, including in the U20 final, where Ouahbi successfully challenged a free-kick decision that led to Yassir Zabiri’s opening goal.

The 16-0 win today means Morocco have broken the record for the biggest win at the FIFA U17 Men’s World Cup. They now hold a record that may take ages to break.