Argentina’s Dominant Journey to the Final
With six titles, Argentina is the most successful team in the history of the FIFA U-20 World Cup. They aim to secure their seventh title on Sunday against Marruecos, a first-time finalist and the surprise package of Chile 2025.
Argentina’s youth team has reached its eighth final in eighteen years since their last championship win in Canada. The team has previously shone with back-to-back titles (1995-1997 and 2005-2007) and a triumph as hosts in 2001. However, Argentina’s glory in youth football began much earlier, with Diego Maradona leading the team to their first U-20 World Cup title in Japan back in 1979, just a year after the senior team won their first World Cup in Buenos Aires.
Argentina’s Perfect Run
On paper, Argentina seems to have the upper hand. They will enter the Estadio Nacional de Santiago on Sunday (23H00 GMT) with an unblemished record: six victories since the group stage, scoring 15 goals and conceding only twice.
Marruecos, described by Argentina’s coach Diego Placente as “a great rival due to their aggressiveness and being a cohesive team,” has never reached the U-20 final. Their best result was a fourth place in the Netherlands 2005 tournament, matching Marruecos’ senior team’s quarter-final appearance in Qatar 2022. This rapid progression of the African nation is no coincidence, as they aim for the 2030 World Cup, which they will co-host with Spain and Portugal.
Marruecos’ Historic Chance
Marruecos has the opportunity to make history by becoming only the second African nation to win the U-20 World Cup, an honor currently held solely by Ghana (champions in 2009 in Egypt).
The young Atlas Lions, led by coach Mohamed Ouahbi, surpassed expectations in the “group of death,” defeating Spain (2-0) and Brazil (2-1), and narrowly losing to Mexico (1-0) but still securing the top spot in their group. Overcoming Corea del Sur (2-1) in the round of 16, the USA (3-1) in the quarters, and France (5-4 on penalties; 1-1 after extra time) in the semis, Marruecos proved their mettle.
Probable Lineups
- Argentina: Santino Barbi – Dylan Gorosito, Tobías Ramírez, Juan Manuel Villalba, Julio Soler – Tomás Pérez, Milton Delgado, Valentino Acuña or Tobías Andrada – Gianluca Prestianni, Maher Carrizo, Alejo Sarco. DT: Diego Placente.
- Marruecos: Ibrahim Gomis – Taha Majni, Ismael Baouf, Smail Bakhty, Fouad Zahouani – Naim Byar, Yassine Khalifi – Othmane Maamma, Houssam Essadak, Gessime Yassine – Yassir Zabiri. DT: Mohamed Ouahbi.
Key Questions and Answers
- Who are the teams playing in the final? Argentina and Marruecos.
- What is Argentina’s record in the U-20 World Cup? Argentina has won six titles and is the most successful team in the tournament’s history.
- What is Marruecos’ best result in a FIFA tournament? Marruecos’ best result was fourth place in the 2005 U-20 World Cup, matching their senior team’s quarter-final appearance in Qatar 2022.
- What makes Marruecos a strong contender? Despite being a first-time finalist, Marruecos has shown resilience and cohesion throughout the tournament, defeating strong opponents like Spain and Brazil.
