In a night painted red and green under the dazzling Santiago lights, Morocco carved their name into football’s golden history books, stunning six-time champions Argentina 2–0 to win the FIFA U-20 World Cup Chile 2025. It was not just a victory — it was poetry, passion, and pride, beautifully woven into ninety unforgettable minutes at the Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos.
For Mohamed Ouahbi and his fearless Atlas Cubs, this was destiny fulfilled. Forty-eight years after Morocco first graced the inaugural U-20 World Cup, the North Africans have finally ascended football’s youth summit, becoming only the second African nation — after Ghana’s golden generation in 2009 — to conquer the world at this level.
The Night Zabiri Shone Brightest
If Morocco’s triumph had a heartbeat, it pulsed in the boots of Yassir Zabiri. The elegant forward, all composure and creativity, turned the final into a personal stage. His genius lit up Santiago from the 13th minute when, after being clattered by Argentine goalkeeper Santino Barbi on a breakaway, he rose to curl the ensuing free-kick into the top corner — a goal of artistry and audacity that will be replayed for years in Moroccan football folklore.
That was just the overture. Argentina, the tournament’s darlings and serial winners, pushed forward with their trademark intensity, but Morocco’s counterattack carried a lethal rhythm. Ismael Baouf, imperious in midfield, intercepted a pass and released Othmane Maamma down the flank. His whipped cross found Zabiri, who volleyed home with thunderous precision.
Two goals up. One continent roaring.
A Final of Grit and Glory
From there, the Atlas Cubs defended like lions. Baouf marshalled the midfield, while Fouad Zahouani and captain Oussama Co turned every Argentine advance into frustration. Goalkeeper Ibrahim Gomis, calm and commanding, barely broke a sweat as Argentina’s famed forwards were reduced to long-range hopefuls.
On the stroke of halftime, Argentina’s Mateo Silvetti nearly pulled one back, his shot skimming past the post, but Morocco immediately responded — Maamma cutting inside and firing goalward, only for Juan Villalba’s desperate clearance to deny a third.
The second half brought wave after wave of Argentine possession, but it was Morocco’s discipline, not desperation, that defined the contest. Zabiri’s artistry continued to trouble the South Americans, his curling effort from outside the box narrowly missing. Substitute Ian Subiabre’s late miss summed up Argentina’s evening — plenty of promise, no precision.
When the final whistle sounded, Morocco’s bench erupted in tears and triumph. The players danced, draped in flags, as Ouahbi embraced his staff. From Rabat to Casablanca, from Fez to Marrakesh, the celebrations had already begun.
A New Dawn for African Football
Morocco’s triumph carried echoes of Ghana’s 2009 success — another African nation that defied the odds and the hierarchy of football. But this victory felt uniquely Moroccan: disciplined, artistic, and deeply symbolic.
It also shattered a long-standing record. No team had beaten Argentina in a FIFA U-20 World Cup final for 42 years — not since Brazil’s Dunga and Bebeto-led side triumphed in 1983. Since then, Argentina had bested Brazil, Uruguay, Ghana, Nigeria, and the Czech Republic to lift six titles. Until now.
Legacy of a Golden Generation
For Yassir Zabiri, whose two goals will live forever in Moroccan hearts, the night crowned him the face of a new generation. For coach Mohamed Ouahbi, it was vindication — proof that Moroccan youth football, long respected across Africa, can now rule the world.
“This victory belongs to every Moroccan child who dreams with a football at his feet,” Ouahbi declared, his voice trembling amid the confetti storm. “We came here as students. We leave as champions.”
And so, on a cool Chilean night, Morocco’s Atlas Cubs roared the loudest. From the sands of the Sahara to the shores of the Atlantic, a new story of African brilliance has been written — and it begins, gloriously, in Santiago.
