U-17 AFCON : Morocco coach Baha braces for tough semifinal clash against Ivory Coast

Photo credit: Arriyadia TV

Morocco U-17 national side head coach Nabil Baha said his charges will face a tough game when they host Ivory Coast in the 2025 African U-17 Nations Cup semi-final later tonight. Baha assembled a team that has made it through to the semi-final after winning three games and drawing one.

The Young Atlas Cubs hope to snatch the title at home, and they must overcome Ivory Coast in the semi-final. Baha expects an Ivorian side that is tough to play against. “The semi-final is what we have all been eagerly waiting for. We know it’s going to be a tough match against this Ivory Coast team that has some very good players,” said the former Morocco striker.

Baha noted that Morocco’s results might make fans think it has been an easy journey for the hosts but underlined the toughness of the competition. “It hasn’t been easy to get this far, even though the results we have had so far have been with fairly large scorelines. But it’s a team effort; it’s the result of a year’s worth of preparation.”

Morocco is only one game away from reaching their back-to-back U-17 AFCON final. Baha suggested he knows what is at stake. “Now we’re at the semi-final stage, and we know that when it comes to semi-finals, the four teams that make it are usually the best teams—great teams. That’s the case here—we’ve been focused since the end of the match against South Africa, and we’re ready to face Ivory Coast.”

Morocco has only made it to the final of the U-17 AFCON once in their entire history.