South Africa made history on Sunday night by lifting their first-ever TotalEnergies CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations title, edging past Morocco 1-0 in a tense final at Cairo’s June 30 Stadium.
A moment of magic from Gomolemo Kekana sealed the deal in the 70th minute, as his thunderous strike from outside the box curled into the top corner — a goal that needed VAR confirmation but was worth every second of the wait. The goal proved decisive in a match characterized by tight tactical battles and disciplined defending.
The victory marks a massive breakthrough for South African youth football, ending a 28-year wait since their last final appearance in 1997 — ironically, a loss to the same Moroccan side. This time, Bafana Bafana’s juniors rewrote the script in style.
South Africa grew stronger as the tournament progressed, bouncing back from an opening loss to Egypt and knocking out giants like DR Congo and Nigeria en route to the final. Goalkeeper Fletcher Lowe was a standout, finishing the tournament with the most saves (24), anchoring a defense that stood tall under Moroccan pressure.
Morocco dominated early proceedings, with Jones El Abdellaoui and Ilias Boumassaoudi testing Lowe, but South Africa’s resilience and high pressing turned the tide.
With this triumph, South Africa becomes the 12th nation to win the title and joins a new era of debut champions. More than just a win — it’s a signal of Africa’s football future shifting south.
