Morocco's defender #14 Issa Diop celebrates scoring with forward #09 Soufiane Rahimi during the 2026 World Cup round of 32 match between the Netherlands and Morocco at the Monterrey Stadium in Guadalupe on June 29, 2026. (Photo by Alfredo ESTRELLA / AFP)
Morocco made history after beating the Netherlands in the Round of 32 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Tuesday. They set new records for African teams regarding possession and progress, according to PUNCH Sports Extra.
Morocco won 3-2 on penalties after the match ended 1-1 following extra time.
Issa Diop scored a late equalizer to cancel out Cody Gakpo’s opener for the Netherlands in the 72nd minute, pushing the game into extra time.
During the penalty shootout, both teams missed two spot-kicks. Crysencio Summerville then had the Netherlands' fifth penalty saved by Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou. This allowed Ismael Saibari to score the winning penalty and secure victory for the Atlas Lions.
Football statistics platform Opta noted that Morocco's win over the Netherlands means they have now advanced from three FIFA World Cup knockout rounds. This matches the total for all other African nations in the tournament's history.
At the 2022 World Cup, Morocco reached the semi-finals, winning two knockout matches and now adding a third at this year's tournament.
Before Morocco’s achievement, only Cameroon in 1990, Senegal in 2002, and Ghana in 2010 had won knockout matches in the FIFA World Cup.
Opta also reported that Morocco had 70 percent possession against the Netherlands during open play.
This is the highest possession recorded by an African team in a FIFA World Cup knockout match since records began in 1966.
The Atlas Lions entered the 2026 World Cup as Africa’s highest-ranked team and seventh in the world.
They are led by coach Mohamed Ouahbi, who took charge a few months ago. Morocco is building on the strong foundation set by Walid Regragui, who led the team to a historic semi-final at the 2022 World Cup.
Morocco will play against co-hosts Canada in the Round of 16 on Saturday.
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