WeeklySA_AdminPOWERHOUSE: Three major defeats in front of home fans — by Senegal’s seniors, Mamelodi Sundowns and now Senegal’s U-17s — have left Morocco nursing fresh wounds and raised questions about the future of North Africa’s football dominance…
By Len Maseko
ANALYSIS
For Morocco, the wounds are beginning to look familiar. The latest setback comes against the backdrop of what has become a painful few months for Moroccan football.
Only days ago, Morocco’s military club giants, AS FAR, watched the coveted CAF Champions League trophy slip through their fingers when South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns secured a 2-1 aggregate victory in the final, completing the job in front of a stunned crowd in Rabat.
That defeat followed an equally agonising AFCON final loss earlier this year, when Senegal’s senior national team denied Morocco the continental crown.
Now, Senegal’s Under-17 side has delivered a third blow, ending Morocco’s hopes of lifting the youth title on home soil.
The common thread running through all three disappointments is striking: each defeat unfolded before Moroccan supporters, turning what should have been showcase moments for one of Africa’s football powerhouses into a sequence of heartbreaks.
Shattered dreams
For a nation that has invested heavily in football infrastructure, youth academies and elite development programmes, the succession of losses has sparked debate about whether Morocco’s impressive progress is translating into the trophies many expected.
Just four months after Senegal’s senior national team shattered Moroccan dreams in a dramatic Africa Cup of Nations final, the Young Lions of Teranga have returned to inflict fresh pain — this time on the hosts of the TotalEnergies CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations.
In a pulsating semi-final in Rabat on Thursday night, Senegal defeated Morocco 7-6 on penalties after a 1-1 draw to book their place in the final against Tanzania. The result not only ended Morocco’s hopes of lifting the continental youth crown on home soil but also reinforced Senegal’s growing reputation as Africa’s emerging football superpower.
The defeat was especially bitter for Morocco. The Atlas Cubs appeared to have rescued themselves from elimination when Ismail El Aoud converted a rebound from his own saved penalty deep into stoppage time.
Yet, just as they had done against Morocco’s senior side earlier this year, Senegal kept their composure when it mattered most, with goalkeeper Assane Sarr emerging as the hero in the penalty shootout.
The loss follows January’s heartbreaking AFCON final defeat for Morocco’s senior team against Senegal — a match many in North Africa believed would finally confirm Morocco as the continent’s undisputed football powerhouse after years of investment, infrastructure development and the historic 2022 FIFA World Cup semi-final run.
Instead, Senegal have twice delivered a painful reminder that continental supremacy is never guaranteed.
The latest setback raises an uncomfortable question: Is North Africa’s long-standing dominance of African football beginning to fade?
For decades, Morocco, Egypt, Algeria and Tunisia have been the benchmark of African football success. Between them they have accumulated multiple AFCON titles, dominated CAF club competitions and regularly supplied Africa’s representatives at FIFA tournaments.
Yet, recent years have seen a notable shift.
Senegal remain Africa’s highest-ranked football nation and continue to produce elite talent through a thriving youth development system. Ivory Coast lifted the 2024 AFCON title against the odds. South Africa have re-emerged as a competitive force.
U-17 AFCON final
Meanwhile, Tanzania’s remarkable run to the U-17 final signals the growing rise of East African football. Indeed, Tuesday’s final between Tanzania and Senegal could become a symbolic moment for the continent.
Neither nation belongs to the traditional North African power bloc. Tanzania are appearing in their first-ever U-17 AFCON final, while Senegal are seeking another youth title to underline their status as Africa’s leading football factory.
South Africa, meanwhile, will be watching from the sidelines after another disappointing youth campaign. Amajimbos failed to progress beyond the group stages, exiting the tournament far earlier than expected and highlighting the work still required to restore the country’s standing in African youth football.
Their early departure contrasted sharply with the progress made by Tanzania and Senegal, two nations now contesting the continental crown and showcasing the value of sustained investment in youth development.
2030 World Cup host
The rise of nations from West, East and Southern Africa suggests the football map of the continent is becoming increasingly competitive.
That does not mean North Africa is in decline. Morocco will co-host the 2030 FIFA World Cup and remains one of Africa’s most professionally organised football nations. Egyptian clubs continue to dominate CAF interclub competitions, while Algerian and Tunisian teams remain formidable.
But the aura of inevitability that once surrounded North African football appears to be weakening.
Morocco’s U-17 side may still leave the tournament with a bronze medal should they defeat Egypt in the third-place playoff. Yet that will offer little comfort after seeing another Senegalese team celebrate on Moroccan soil.
For Senegal, meanwhile, the mission is not yet complete.
The Young Lions now face Tanzania in what promises to be a historic final between two nations representing the changing face of African football.
Should Senegal prevail once more, the message will be impossible to ignore: Africa’s football future may no longer belong to its traditional powers alone.
It is increasingly being written by a new generation of challengers determined to redraw the continent’s football hierarchy.
TotalEnergies CAF U-17 AFCON Morocco 2026
All kick-off times are local time
Third-place match
Monday, 1 June 2026
Morocco v Egypt
Venue: CMVI – T8
Kick-off: 20:00
Final
Tuesday, 2 June 2026
Tanzania v Senegal
Venue: Moulay El Hassan Stadium, Rabat
Kick-off: 20:00
