South Africa’s fairytale run in the CAF U20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) has culminated in the team bringing the trophy home.

Amajita’s maiden title was achieved through a 1-0 victory over Morocco at the Cairo International Stadium, Egypt, on Sunday. Midfielder Gomolemo Kekana netted the all-important goal in the second stanza.

The win is sweet revenge over the North Africans, coming 28 years after Amajita suffered a final defeat to the same opponents in 1997.

Raymond Mdaka’s boys were full value for their win, putting up a great fight to subdue the Moroccans.

Amajita came into the tournament on the back of winning the 2024 COSAFA Cup and had a shaky start, losing 1-0 to hosts Egypt in the AFCON opener late last month.

The recovery was swift, however.

Amajita went on to win Group A before knocking out DR Congo in the last eight and following it up with a win over Nigeria in the semi-finals to set up the final against Morocco.

And now for the FIFA U20 World Cup later this year.

South American country Chile will host the global showpiece from 27 September to 19 October. The reigning African champions South Africa, Morocco, Nigeria, and Egypt will represent the African continent.

Meanwhile, Amajita defender Tylon Smith was named the AFCON 2025 Player of the Tournament, with his teammate Fletcher Lowe recognized as the best goalkeeper.

Morocco was handed the Fair Play award.