Morocco qualify for U20 AFCON despite Libya defeat

Morocco’s Under-20 side ended their North African qualifying campaign with a 3-2 defeat by Libya, but had already secured qualification for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations finals in Ghana.

The Atlas Lions were beaten in their fifth and final match of the North African Football Union qualifiers at the Suez Canal Stadium in Ismailia, Egypt.

Despite the defeat, Morocco’s earlier results were enough to secure one of the qualification places for the continental tournament.

Morocco finish qualifying campaign with defeat

Morocco struggled to turn their chances into goals against Libya and were punished despite creating several opportunities in the second half.

The 3-2 defeat brought an end to their qualifying campaign, but the result did not affect their place at next year’s Africa Cup of Nations finals.

The tournament will be hosted by Ghana in 2027.

Atlas Lions secure qualification

Morocco began the qualifying tournament with a goalless draw against Tunisia before recording a 3-1 victory over Algeria.

They then continued their positive run with a 2-0 win against hosts Egypt, collecting seven points from their first three matches.

Those results put Morocco in a strong position to secure qualification before their final two matches.

Five teams competed for two places

The North African qualifiers featured five teams: hosts Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya.

The tournament served as the regional qualifying competition for the Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations, with the top two teams earning places at the finals.

Morocco’s qualification means the Atlas Lions will now turn their attention to preparing for the continental tournament in Ghana in 2027.