South Africa’s national U-20 team, Amajita, finally lifted the elusive TotalEnergies CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) trophy after a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Morocco in the final held at Cairo’s 30 June Stadium on Sunday, May 18.
In a repeat of the 1997 final—which South Africa lost by the same margin to Morocco—Amajita earned their long-awaited revenge. Gomolemo Kekana scored the decisive goal in the 70th minute, finishing off a well-placed assist from Fletcher Lowe.
Before this triumph, Amajita had suffered narrow 1-0 group stage defeats to Egypt in the 2001, 2009, 2011, and 2025 editions. Their perseverance finally paid off in Cairo.
South Africa were making their fifth appearance in a CAF final across youth and senior levels, having won the senior AFCON in 1996 and lost the final in 1998. They started the match strongly but were let down by poor finishing in the first half.
Morocco, who had edged hosts Egypt 1-0 in the semi-finals, came close to scoring in the 16th minute through a swift counterattack, but Reda Laalaoui could not apply the finishing touch.
The second half was a tense, evenly matched affair. South Africa, who had reached the final after a 1-0 win over Nigeria, opted for a counter-attacking approach. Mfundo Vilakazi nearly broke the deadlock earlier in the half, combining with Neo Rapoo before firing a right-footed shot that forced a fine save from Morocco’s goalkeeper Yanis Benchaouch Marty.
Substitutions followed, with Ismael Aouad replacing Mouad Dahak for Morocco and Thabang Mahlangu coming on for Vilakazi. However, the breakthrough came from South Africa when Kekana finished Lowe’s excellent delivery—securing Amajita’s historic first U-20 AFCON title and marking the second consecutive tournament to feature a debut champion, after Senegal’s 2023 win.
Nigeria Clinch Bronze with Penalty Shootout Win Over Egypt
Nigeria claimed the bronze medal with a 4-1 penalty shootout victory over hosts Egypt after their third-place playoff ended 1-1 in regulation time.
This was the sixth U-20 AFCON encounter between the two nations since 1993. Nigeria had previously recorded three wins, including group-stage triumphs in 2009 (2-0) and 2023 (1-0), and the 2005 final (2-0). Egypt’s only prior victory came in the 2013 semi-final, with one other meeting ending in a draw.
Egypt opened the scoring early, with Omar Osama Hassan Hassan netting in the 3rd minute from a cross by Mahmoud Labib. The Young Pharaohs continued to dominate, and Mohanad Mohamed Ahmed Aly nearly doubled their lead in the 12th minute but missed a clear chance.
Mohab Samy received the first yellow card of the match in the 35th minute for a foul on Israel Ayuma, which led to a dangerous free-kick. However, Egypt goalkeeper Ahmed Waheb reacted well to deny Armiyau Armiyau and preserve their 1-0 lead heading into halftime.
In the second half, Nigerian coach Aliyu Zubairu introduced Divine Oliseh and Bidemi Amole, replacing Baffa Armayau and Ezekiel Kpangu. The changes paid off immediately, with Amole equalizing with his first touch in the 46th minute, courtesy of a cross from Oliseh.
Egypt made changes of their own, bringing in Omar Khedr for Mohanad Mohamed, while Nigeria responded by substituting Kparobo Arierhi for Precious Benjamin.
This was Egypt’s fourth appearance in a third-place match, having won all three previous fixtures. However, they failed to maintain their perfect record. Nigeria, meanwhile, were contesting their sixth third-place playoff and added a fifth bronze medal to their collection.
In the shootout, Nigeria converted all four penalties through Chukwu Emmanuel, Israel Ayuma, Kparobo Arierhi, and Maigari Adamu Bajibir. Egypt only managed one successful kick, with Omar Khedr scoring. Ahmed Khaled Gomaa and Mohammed Atef were denied by Nigerian goalkeeper Ebenezer Harcourt.
The win marked Nigeria’s 14th top-three finish in U-20 AFCON history and extended their strong record against host nations, having now beaten Egypt in consecutive tournaments. Egypt, on the other hand, conceded their first-ever goal in a third-place match and missed the chance to continue their unbeaten streak in such fixtures.
