'No small teams anymore' – Morocco boss wary of tricky U-17 World Cup group
Morocco U-17 coach Nabil Baha has described his side's FIFA U-17 World Cup Qatar 2025 group as 'balanced' but warned that there will be no easy matches when the tournament kicks off in November.
The draw, held in Doha on 25 May, placed the North African champions in Group B alongside Japan, Portugal, and New Caledonia.
The Atlas Cubs, who lifted the TotalEnergies U-17 Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year, now turn their focus to the global stage where expectations have grown.
'We landed in a balanced group. Portugal is a very big football nation, and Japan plays very well,' said Baha.
'New Caledonia, we don't know much about, but nowadays, as they say, there are no small teams in the world.'
The 2025 edition of the U-17 World Cup is the biggest in the competition's history, with 48 teams drawn into 12 groups of four.
Morocco will kick off their campaign against Asian giants Japan before facing Oceania representatives New Caledonia, and closing their group play against European heavyweights Portugal.
For Baha, the ambition is clear — go further than Morocco's quarter-final finish in the last edition held in Indonesia.
'Our goal will be to do better than we did in Indonesia in 2023,' he stated.
'We know it will be very tough, but we have the ability to go very far in this competition, given that we have very good players and won the U-17 Africa Cup.'
The Moroccan coach praised his squad's potential and insisted that their continental success should serve as a foundation, not a finish line.
'We showed on our continent that we have a great generation, and now we'll have to work hard and prepare as best we can for this World Cup in order to aim to go as far as possible,' he added.
With a blend of tactical discipline, individual talent, and continental pedigree, Morocco's U-17s enter Qatar 2025 with belief.
As African champions, the Atlas Cubs will carry the hopes of the region — and their coach is determined to make it count.
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