Morocco do it again at the World Cup

Africa's giant-killers, still giant-killing

Morocco's 2022 run felt like something that only happens once — the semi-finals, the wall of noise, the whole continent watching through their fingers. But Walid Regragui's side have made a habit of proving people wrong, and eliminating the Netherlands at the 2026 World Cup would be exactly the kind of result that rewrites the conversation about African football all over again.

The Dutch are not a soft draw. The Netherlands arrived in North America with genuine pedigree, a squad packed with Premier League and Champions League regulars, and the kind of tournament experience that is supposed to matter in moments like this.

According to Pulse Sports, the Atlas Lions marched through to the last 16 with a decisive win over the Oranje. Editor's note: Full scoreline and goalscorers are pending confirmation from a second independent source (BBC Sport, Sky Sports, ESPN FC, or official FIFA/FRMF/KNVB channels) — this article will be updated and cleared for full publish once that sourcing is in place. What Pulse Sports reports: Morocco are through, the Netherlands are not, and the bracket just got a lot more interesting.

What it means for the continent

For Kenyan fans and East African supporters who adopted Morocco as their own in Qatar — filling WhatsApp groups at 2am, watching Sofiane Boufal dance in the corner — this one lands just as hard. There is something about the Atlas Lions that travels. They play with structure and intensity and a stubborn refusal to be outworked, and they do it representing a continent that has waited a long time for this kind of sustained success.

No African side had ever reached a World Cup semi-final before 2022. Morocco got there. Now, per Pulse Sports, they are back in the knockout rounds at 2026, having already seen off one of Europe's traditional powers. The ceiling keeps moving.

What comes next

The Round of 16 awaits, and Morocco will not be anyone's preferred opponent in that draw. Regragui has built a side that is genuinely hard to break down and dangerous on the counter — the kind of team that punishes you the moment you get comfortable. Whoever faces them next has been warned.

The Atlas Lions are not a story anymore. They are a standard.

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⚠️ Publishing hold: This article is currently sourced from Pulse Sports (Kenya) only. A second independent source — BBC Sport, Sky Sports, ESPN FC, Goal, Reuters, or an official statement from FIFA, FRMF, or KNVB — is required before this piece goes live. Please also verify the cover image licence before publishing.