Today, Japan faces Morocco in Group B’s opening match at the U17 World Cup in Doha, Qatar. Nabil Baha’s team will seek to start their tournament with a win and confirm their recent positive results, most notably their U17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title earlier this year.
Match Details
Fixture: Japan vs Morocco
Competition: 2025 FIFA U17 World Cup- Group B Matchday 1
Venue: Aspire Zone – Pitch 5 stadium, Doha, Qatar
Date: Monday, November 3
Kick-off: 2:30 p.m. (GMT+1)
Referee: Andrea Colombo (Italy)
How to Watch: Arriyadia TNT, FIFA+
Japan Team News
In recent news, Japan’s U-17 beat Australia 4-0 in preparation for the tournament. Their best result in the U-17 World Cup was during their quarterfinal appearances both in 1993 and 2011.
For this upcoming match, the players to watch will be midfielder Maki Kitahara (FC Tokyo) for his attacking form and good eye for dangerous passes. Additionally, Hiroto Asada (Yokohama F. Marinos) is expected to prove as Japan’s main attacking threat, having scored against Morocco during the two teams’ last meeting in June.
Morocco Team News
The Moroccan side won both U-17 preparation games 2-0 and 4-3 versus Switzerland and Uzbekistan, respectively. Their best showing in the U-17 World Cup was in 2023, when they featured in the quarter-finals.
For this game, the players to watch will be midfielder Abdellah Ouazzane (Ajax Youth), who is expected to excel after a stellar U17 AFCON campaign. Additionally, eyes will be on Ziyad Baha (Calavera CF U19), who will likely lead Morocco’s front line today. He scored against Switzerland’s U17 in the team’s last preparation game.
Safest Calls:
Both teams to score: Morocco has scored in four out of their last five. Japan is coming off a big 4-0 result vs Australia.
Score Prediction: Japan 1-2 Morocco
AloJapan.com