Morocco have been crowned champions of the 2025 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) after edging Mali 4-2 on penalties following a goalless draw in Saturday’s final at the El Bachir Stadium in Mohammedia.
In front of a jubilant home crowd, the young Atlas Lions held their nerve in the shootout, with Ilies Belmokhtar sealing the victory in style with a composed Panenka to deliver Morocco their first-ever U-17 AFCON title.
The match itself was a tight and tactical affair, with both teams cancelling each other out over 90 minutes. Mali thought they had taken the lead midway through the first half when Soumaila Fane found the back of the net, but VAR intervened to disallow the goal after it was confirmed the forward had used his hand to guide the ball in.
Morocco’s best opportunity of the opening half came through Ziyad Baha, whose low drive was smartly saved by Malian goalkeeper Lamine Sinaba just before the break.
After halftime, Mali stepped up their attacking intensity, with Seydou Dembele forcing a fine save from Moroccan shot-stopper Chouaib Bellaarouche early in the second half. Bellaarouche continued to stand tall, producing a string of crucial interventions to keep Mali at bay.
With the deadlock unbroken after regulation time, the final moved to penalties. Bellaarouche emerged as the hero once again, making two superb saves in the shootout to guide Morocco to a 4-2 victory and spark wild celebrations among the home fans.
Both Morocco and Mali, along with Burkina Faso, South Africa, Zambia, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Tunisia, Egypt, and Uganda, have qualified for the 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup, set to take place in Qatar in November.
