Morocco demolished New Caledonia 16 to 0 on Sunday at the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) Under 17 World Cup in Doha, Qatar, setting a new tournament scoring record that obliterates Spain’s previous benchmark. The Atlas Cubs’ ruthless attacking display at Aspire Academy Pitch 1 surpassed Spain’s 13 to 0 victory over New Zealand to claim the biggest winning margin in the competition’s history.
The North African side opened the scoring within three minutes through Bilal Soukrat before Oualid Ibn Salah struck twice in the 11th and 18th minutes. The match took a decisive turn when New Caledonia lost two players to red cards before halftime, leaving them with just nine men on the pitch for most of the contest.
Typhan Dreuko received his marching orders in the 23rd minute, followed by Jean Canehmez eight minutes later. Morocco coach Abdelhamid Baha utilized FIFA’s newly introduced green card system to challenge the second dismissal, but after video review using the Football Video Support (FVS) system, referee officials upheld the red card decision.
With numerical superiority firmly established, Morocco poured forward relentlessly. Abdelali Eddaoudi earned Player of the Match honors after scoring twice in the 41st and 42nd minutes. Ilyas Hidaoui added another in the 44th minute before Ziyad Baha made it 7 to 0 at halftime with a goal in second half stoppage time.
The onslaught continued after the break. Zakari El Khalfioui restored the scoring just three minutes into the second period, with Baha adding his second two minutes later. Nahel Haddani struck twice within four minutes around the hour mark to push the tally into double digits.
Abdellah Ouazane found the net in the 73rd minute, then an own goal from Steevy Andrew three minutes later made it 13 to 0. Ismail El Aoud scored in the 80th and 90th minutes, with Ouazane completing his brace deep into stoppage time to seal the historic 16 goal margin.
Statistical dominance matched the scoreline. Morocco enjoyed 73 percent possession, registered 25 shots and prevented New Caledonia from managing a single effort on target throughout the 90 minutes. The Atlas Cubs also won eight corners compared to their opponents’ zero.
The victory lifted Morocco to third place in Group B with three points and a goal difference of plus eight. However, their progression to the Round of 32 remained uncertain at the final whistle, dependent on results from other groups as only the eight best third placed teams advance alongside automatic qualifiers.
Morocco had endured a difficult tournament start, losing 2 to 0 against Japan before suffering a heavy 6 to 0 defeat to Portugal. The young Atlas Cubs needed a significant goal difference improvement to keep knockout stage hopes alive, making Sunday’s extraordinary result crucial for their qualification prospects.
Japan topped Group B with seven points after defeating Portugal 2 to 1 in their final group match, with both sides securing automatic qualification. Portugal finished second with six points. New Caledonia, who had earned praise for drawing 1 to 1 with Japan and scoring against Portugal earlier in the tournament, ended their campaign bottom of the group with one point.
The green card system represents FIFA’s testing of coach challenge mechanisms in youth tournaments. Coaches can dispute two decisions per match, including goals, penalties, red cards and cases of mistaken identity. Successful challenges preserve their right to make additional appeals.
Morocco’s Under 20 team made history last month by becoming the first nation to successfully use the green card system when coach Mohamed Ouahbi overturned a penalty decision against Spain. The Moroccan youth setup has embraced the technology throughout recent tournaments, including multiple challenges during their Under 20 World Cup campaign.
New Caledonia coach Leo Lopez saw his team’s composure unravel following the early red cards. The Oceania representatives had entered the match hoping to reach the knockout stages for the first time in their third World Cup appearance, buoyed by their creditable performances against Japan and Portugal.
The record breaking scoreline highlighted both Morocco’s clinical finishing and New Caledonia’s defensive collapse under numerical disadvantage. With two players fewer and facing Africa’s reigning Under 17 champions, the Pacific islanders struggled to mount any resistance.
Morocco’s attacking players shared the goals widely. Six different scorers registered braces: Ibn Salah, Eddaoudi, Baha, Haddani, Ouazane and El Aoud. The distribution of goalscorers demonstrated the team’s collective attacking threat rather than reliance on individual brilliance.
The Atlas Cubs await final confirmation of their knockout stage participation as other group matches conclude. Their plus eight goal difference and three points position them favorably among third placed teams, though nothing is guaranteed until all results are confirmed.
FIFA organizes the Under 17 World Cup every two years, bringing together youth national teams from confederations worldwide. Qatar hosts the 2025 edition across multiple venues in Doha, with matches running through late November as teams compete for the youth world championship.