U-17 World Cup: Senegal and South Africa in strong positions; Morocco and Tunisia fall to defeats

The second round of matches from the group stage of the 2025 U-17 World Cup kicked off on Thursday with Senegal and South Africa on the verge of qualifying for the knockout stages while African champions Morocco were humbled.

¡Camara pone el primero! El delantero marca el 1-0 de Senegal ante Costa Rica en actividad de la jornada 2 del grupo C del Mundial Sub-17.

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Alwaly Camara’s goal inside the opening ten minutes was enough for Senegal to defeat Costa Rica 1-0 in Group C. After playing to a 0-0 draw with Croatia in their opening match, Les Lionceaux are now level with the European side at the top of the group with four points each. The West Africans will finish up against United Arab Emirates where they are guaranteed a place in the Round of 16 if they avoid defeat.

In Group A, South Africa’s Amajimbos secured a tight hold on second place with a 1-1 draw against hosts Qatar. After scoring in a 3-1 opening victory over Bolivia to kick off their tournament, Amajimbos #10 Emile Witbooi scored another goal by nodding in a perfect cross from Kamohelo Maraletse to cancel out Qatar’s early opener.

South Africa are now on four points and will need to avoid a heavy defeat against group leaders Italy in their final match on Sunday to be fully secured of a place in the Round of 16.

It was a different story for North Africa representatives Morocco and Tunisia, who both suffered defeats on Thursday. For Morocco in particular, the opening two rounds have been a disaster after the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations champions were thrashed 6-0 by Portugal.

With zero goals scored, eight goals conceded and zero points, Morocco will need to score as many goals as possible against New Caledonia on Sunday and hope that results go their way to advance out of Group B as one of the best third place teams.

Tunisia are likely to be one of the teams competing with Morocco as one of the best third place teams after a 0-1 defeat to Argentina in Group D. A lopsided victory against Fiji in their opening match could be decisive for the Eaglets because they will be the underdogs against Belgium in their final Group D match on Sunday.