THE Morocco continues its rise in the history of world football with a shower of records. The victory won against Haiti (4-2) this Wednesday in Atlanta, allowed Morocco to become the most victorious African selection in the history of the World Cup with seven successes, ahead of the other great nations of the continent. THE Lions of the Atlas now have victories against Portugal (1986 and 2022), Scotland (1998 and 2026), Belgium (2022), Canada (2022) and Haiti (2026).
This 2026 edition also allows Morocco to capture another continental record. With the four goals scored against Haiti, the Lions bring their total to 26 goals in the World Cup finals, surpassing Nigeria (23 goals) and Cameroon (22) to become the most prolific African selection in the history of the tournament. Another striking statistic: Morocco has now played its 26th match in the World Cup, thus equaling the African record previously held by Cameroon. A total which could further increase over the course of this American edition.
Hakimi, Saibari and Gessime write their own story
This group stage also allowed several Moroccan internationals to write their names in the record books. Scorer, decisive passer and man of the match against Haiti, Achraf Hakimi continues to push the boundaries. By playing his thirteenth match in the World Cup, the captain of the Atlas Lions became the most capped African player in the history of the competition, surpassing the eleven appearances of François Omam-Biyik and Asamoah Gyan.
Author of a goal in each of the three matches against Brazil, Scotland and Haiti, Ismaël Saibari became the first African player in history to score in all three of his team’s group matches at the same World Cup. Thus, with these three achievements, the attacking midfielder also joins Youssef En-Nesyri at the top of the ranking of the best Moroccan scorers in the history of the World Cup.
Came into play against Haiti, Yassine Gessime has also given itself a special place in the history of the Atlas Lions. At only 20 years old, the striker became the youngest Moroccan scorer in the World Cup finals by scoring his team’s fourth goal against the Grenadiers.
Now established among the great nations of world football, the Atlas Lions are no longer content with writing great stories: they are establishing new standards for all of African football.
