Morocco have etched their name deeper into FIFA World Cup history after defeating the Netherlands on penalties to reach the Round of 16, setting two new records for African nations at the tournament.
The Atlas Lions secured a dramatic 3-2 penalty shootout victory on Tuesday after the Round of 32 encounter ended 1-1 following extra time.
The Netherlands appeared to be heading for victory when Cody Gakpo broke the deadlock in the 72nd minute. However, Issa Diop struck a late equaliser to send the contest into extra time before the match was ultimately decided from the penalty spot.
Both teams missed two penalties during the shootout before Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou produced the decisive save, denying Crysencio Summerville. Ismael Saibari then calmly converted the winning penalty to send Morocco through.
According to football statistics platform Opta, the victory means Morocco have now won three FIFA World Cup knockout matches—matching the combined total achieved by every other African nation in the tournament’s history.
Morocco first reached that milestone during their historic run to the 2022 World Cup semi-finals, where they won two knockout ties before adding a third victory at the 2026 tournament. Before Morocco’s achievement, only Cameroon (1990), Senegal (2002) and Ghana (2010) had recorded knockout-stage victories for African teams at the World Cup.
The Atlas Lions also dominated possession against the Dutch, finishing the match with 70 per cent possession during open play, according to Opta. The figure is the highest ever recorded by an African nation in a FIFA World Cup knockout match since possession statistics began in 1966.
Morocco arrived at the 2026 FIFA World Cup as Africa’s highest-ranked national team and seventh in the FIFA world rankings. Under head coach Mohamed Ouahbi, who only recently took charge, the North Africans have continued the impressive progress established under former coach Walid Regragui, who guided the country to its historic semi-final appearance in Qatar four years ago.
Morocco will now face co-hosts Canada in the Round of 16 on Saturday as they continue their bid for another memorable World Cup campaign.
