South Africa and Morocco will contest the final of the Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo on Sunday, a repeat of the 1997 decider between the two.

It is the second time each has reached this stage of the tournament, with Morocco, as hosts, victorious in their previous final as they beat South Africa 1-0 to claim their only title to date.

South Africa have never beaten North African opposition at the tournament, losing all five encounters.

In addition to the 1997 final, they have suffered four 1-0 defeats to Egypt in the group stages of 2001, 2009, 2011, and 2025. All five defeats have been by a single goal, with four ending 1-0.

Morocco boast a perfect record against Southern African teams, having beaten South Africa in the 1997 final and secured group-stage wins over Lesotho (2-0) and Angola (1-0) in 2005.

This is South Africa’s fifth final across CAF youth and senior tournaments. They previously reached the senior finals in 1996 and 1998, defeating Tunisia and losing to Egypt, respectively.

At U-20 level, they lost the 1997 final to Morocco. A win this time would make them the 12th different nation to lift the trophy and the second from Southern Africa after Zambia in 2017.

It would also mark the second successive edition to crown a first-time winner, after Senegal’s triumph in 2023. In fact, four of the last five winners have lifted the trophy for the first time.

Both teams followed identical knockout paths to the final: extra-time wins in the quarterfinals and 1-0 victories in regulation time in the semifinals.

South Africa beat DR Congo after extra time and then Nigeria, while Morocco edged Sierra Leone in extra time before defeating hosts Egypt.

This is the fifth U-20 AFCON tournament hosted in North Africa since the switch to a single-format in 1991. Egypt hosted in 1991, 2023, and 2025, while Morocco and Algeria hosted in 1997 and 2013 respectively.

In each of the three editions where a North African team reached the final on home soil (1991, 1997, 2013), they won the title. The 2025 final is only the second, after 1997, to feature a Southern African team against a North African team, and the first final since 1997 without a West African participant.

Of the previous 24 finals, none have ended goalless. Four went to extra time, with two settled in open play – Egypt’s 4-3 win over Côte d’Ivoire in 2003 and Nigeria’s 3-2 win over Cameroon in 2011. Two others, in 2013 and 2019, were decided by penalties. Since 1991, 13 of 17 finals have been settled in 90 minutes.

The most common scoreline in finals has been 2-0, occurring nine times. The highest-scoring final was in 2003, with seven goals.

SOUTH AFRICA FACTS
·      South Africa reached the final after a 1-0 win over Nigeria. It is the first time they have won four matches in a single edition, including three 1-0 victories and a 4-1 win over Sierra Leone.

·      After failing to score in their opener, they have netted eight goals across their next five games and conceded only twice. They are unbeaten in their last five matches, having lost their opener to Egypt, and have kept three clean sheets – their joint-best tally at a single edition.

·      Goalkeeper Fletcher Lowe has been key, making 24 saves, the most in the tournament.

·      Tylon Smith’s goal against Nigeria, assisted by Neo Rapoo, was his first of the tournament and South Africa’s eighth. Smith is one of six different scorers for the team.

·      Rapoo, along with Shakeel April, has two assists and three total goal involvements. South Africa have won more duels (297 to Morocco’s 266) and more tackles (64 to 53), with a better tackle success rate (71.9% to 63.9%).

·      Historically, South Africa had never won a knockout match in open play before this edition. Their only previous successes came in penalty shootouts – against Ghana in the 1997 semifinal and Nigeria in the 2019 third-place match. At this edition, they have won both knockout matches in regulation or extra time.

MOROCCO FACTS    
·      Morocco reached the final by defeating Kenya (3-2), drawing with Nigeria (0-0), and beating Tunisia (3-1) in the group stage. They then won 1-0 after extra time against Sierra Leone and beat Egypt 1-0 in the semifinals.

·      Prior to 2025, Morocco had never won a knockout match outside their home soil.

·      Unbeaten in their last 14 matches in open play at the U-20 AFCON (W8 D6), Morocco’s last defeat in open play came in 2003, a 4-0 group-stage loss to Egypt.

·      All four of their past penalty shootouts have ended in defeat. This is the first time they’ve reached the final without a group-stage loss.

·      Morocco, like South Africa, have scored eight goals with six different players contributing. Jones El Abdellaoui and Yassir Zabiri lead the team with two goals each. El Abdellaoui scored the semifinal winner as a substitute – both his goals have come off the bench.

·      Hossam Essadak has created 11 chances, more than any other Moroccan player.

·      In the semifinal win over Egypt, Morocco did not face a single shot on target. They have conceded just three goals and faced 18 shots on target across five matches.

·      Their shot conversion rate (15.38%) slightly edges South Africa’s (14.55%). Notably, six of Morocco’s eight goals have come after halftime, with five in the second half and one in extra time.

·      They have yet to score in the opening 40 minutes of any match.

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Twenty-eight years after their first U-20 AFCON continental showdown in the final, Morocco and South Africa will meet again in a repeat of the 1997 final when they clash on Sunday in the TotalEnergies CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations title decider Egypt.

That 1997 encounter ended in a narrow 1-0 victory for Morocco, sealing their first and only TotalEnergies CAF U-20 AFCON crown. Now, nearly three decades later, the Young Atlas Lions will be aiming to recapture that historic success, while South Africa are determined to turn the tables and claim their maiden continental title at this level.

Both teams punched their tickets to the final with gritty 1-0 wins in Thursday’s semi-finals. 

South Africa saw off Nigeria thanks to a header from Michael Smith, while Morocco overcame tournament hosts Egypt, courtesy of a composed finish from Jones El Abdellaoui.

Morocco have impressed with their defensive solidity and tactical cohesion, boasting a run of clean sheets in the knockout stages. Led by a confident backline and opportunistic forwards, they carry momentum and the weight of history into Sunday’s clash.

South Africa, meanwhile, have grown in strength as the tournament has progressed.

Their victory over a highly-rated Nigerian side was a statement of intent, and coach Vela Khumalo’s charges will be desperate to lift the trophy that narrowly eluded them in 1997, just a year after their seniors lifted the AFCON on home soil.

With continental glory, pride, and redemption at stake, the final is poised to deliver a captivating battle between two nations with unfinished business on the U-20 AFCON stage.

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Just as the Nigeria Flying Eagles are the record holders in winning the title at the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations, no team has won the third place more that the Nigerian side.

With their elimination on Thursday by South Africa from the final match, the Flying Eagles will be going for their fifth third place position. South Africa edged Nigeria 1-0 in a tense semi-final clash at the Suez Canal Stadium on.

A well-taken header by Tylon Smith in the 66th minute proved decisive in a fiercely contested match between two of Africa’s traditional football powerhouses.

The result also ends Nigeria’s hopes of winning a record-extending eighth U-20 AFCON title.

Nigeria, dominant for large spells in the second half, were made to rue missed opportunities, particularly in the final moments when South African goalkeeper Fletcher Lowe produced a string of saves to deny Emmanuel Chukwu and Israel Ayuma.

The match began cautiously, with both sides probing without creating clear-cut chances.

Nigeria’s Tahir Maigana and South Africa’s Kutlwano Letlhaku both had early efforts saved in a first half that ended goalless despite Nigeria’s superior attacking numbers.

The breakthrough came just after the hour mark. Neo Rapoo whipped in a corner from the right, and Smith rose highest to power home a header into the centre of the goal — his first of the tournament and arguably the most important yet for the Amajita.

Nigeria responded with urgency, making double substitutions in the 65th minute to inject pace and fresh energy into the attack.

Rickson Mendos and Bidemi Amole nearly made instant impacts, with both going close in a series of intense late assaults on the South African goal.

Ayuma had two excellent chances to level, including a diving header that was brilliantly saved by Lowe.

But South Africa’s resolute defending and composed midfield play saw them through, stretching their unbeaten run at the Suez Canal Stadium to four games.

The win sees South Africa reach their second U-20 AFCON final, their first since 1997 when they finished as runners-up.

For Nigeria, it marks a third consecutive semi-final defeat in the tournament, having previously fallen to Gambia (2023) and Mali (2019).

South Africa’s run to the final has been built on solid defence and efficiency in front of goal.

Thursday’s win also means they will head into the final with momentum, having now gone five matches unbeaten — their longest such streak in U-20 AFCON history.

With qualification to the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup already secured, the Amajita will now turn their attention to winning their first continental title.

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