Morocco stun Netherlands on penalties to reach World Cup round of 16

Morocco produced a major upset at the FIFA World Cup 2026 on Tuesday, beating Virgil van Dijk's Netherlands 3-2 on penalties in a thrilling round-of-32 tie to book their place in the round of 16, where they will face Canada.

It was the fourth time the Netherlands have lost a shootout at a World Cup — only Spain have suffered as many shootout defeats in the tournament's history. Morocco, captained by Achraf Hakimi, held their nerve from the spot to send the Dutch crashing out.

The match finished 1-1 after extra time, with Ismaël Saibari converting the decisive spot-kick to send Morocco through. Morocco will face Canada in Houston on 4 July in the last 16.

Nayef Aguerd and Achraf Hakimi both missed their penalties for Morocco, while Justin Kluivert, Quinten Timber and Crysencio Summerville all failed to convert for the Netherlands.

The match itself had been a tense affair. Neither side scored in the first half. After the hydration break in the second half, Cody Gakpo gave the Netherlands the lead in the 72nd minute, finishing off a pass from Summerville. With time running out for Morocco, Issa Diop levelled with a header in the first minute of extra time to force the shootout.

Morocco's record in shootouts is mixed — they have won only half of the eight they have contested overall, but the North African side have now won three in a row, having previously beaten Spain at the 2022 World Cup, Nigeria at AFCON 2025 and Senegal at the 2025 African Nations Championship.