Hakimi: We Proved Our Fourth-Place Finish in the World Was No Fluke

Achraf Hakimi said Morocco's penalty shootout win over the Netherlands showed their 2022 World Cup run was no accident, after the Atlas Lions advanced at the 2026 tournament following a 1-1 draw over 120 minutes.

Hakimi described it as a difficult match against strong opposition, but said Morocco kept their concentration to the end and felt proud of the result. He added that some people had treated their fourth-place finish in Qatar as a one-off, but the team had kept working and proved otherwise.

The Paris Saint-Germain defender also marked his 100th cap for Morocco in the game. He missed Morocco's second penalty in the shootout, but said the team had created plenty of chances and believed they would go through because Yassine Bounou was in goal.

Morocco now turn to a meeting with Canada, one of the hosts, on 13 July in Houston.