SANTIAGO, Chile (BN24) — Morocco made history on Sunday night by defeating Argentina 2-0 in the final to win its first-ever Under-20 World Cup title, capping off a remarkable tournament run in Chile that captured global attention.
Yassir Zabrini, the FC Famalicão striker who has emerged as one of the breakout stars of the competition, scored twice in the first half to secure Morocco’s place in the history books. Zabrini struck in the 12th and 29th minutes, giving Morocco a commanding 2-0 lead that held until the final whistle. The result marked the first World Cup triumph for Morocco at any age-group level.
With this victory, Morocco became the first African nation to lift the U20 World Cup since Ghana accomplished the feat in 2009. The North African side’s path to the trophy was anything but easy. Morocco topped a challenging group that included Spain, Brazil, and Mexico, then knocked out South Korea, the United States, and France in the elimination rounds before facing Argentina in the final.
Argentina, a six-time U20 world champion, was seeking a record-extending seventh title but fell short for the first time in the tournament. The team reached the final despite missing its two most promising young stars — Claudio Echeverri of Bayer Leverkusen and Franco Mastantuono of Real Madrid — both absent from the competition.
The loss comes as Argentina’s senior national team, the reigning World Cup champion, has already qualified for the 2026 World Cup in North America after reaching the semifinals in Qatar in 2022. Morocco’s victory is being hailed as a watershed moment for African youth football, demonstrating the continent’s growing strength on the global stage.
