Morocco continued their remarkable rise on the world stage after defeating Haiti 4-2 in a thrilling Group C match at Atlanta Stadium, securing a place in the Round of 32 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Soccernet.ng reports.
The victory also saw the Atlas Lions surpass two long-standing World Cup records previously held by Nigeria's Super Eagles, as they further strengthened their claim as Africa's most successful team in World Cup history.
Morocco, who heeded the advice of a former Super Eagles star, finished second in Group C with seven points from three matches. They ended level on points with Brazil but trailed the South Americans on goal difference. Head coach Mohamed Ouahbi's side remain unbeaten and will now travel to Monterrey for their Round of 32 clash on June 29.
South Africa are the only other African nation that have already confirmed their place in the knockout stage. Bafana Bafana secured qualification after a 1-0 victory over South Korea, finishing second in Group A with four points and reaching the World Cup knockout rounds for the first time in their history.
Morocco fight back twice to defeat Haiti
The match in Atlanta was one of the most entertaining games of the tournament so far, producing six goals and several dramatic moments.
Haiti stunned Morocco in the 10th minute when Lenny Joseph's effort took a deflection off goalkeeper Yassine Bounou and ended up in the net. The goal gave Haiti a 1-0 lead and marked their first World Cup goal in 52 years.
Morocco, knowing they have more to do to impress Nigeria great Sunday Oliseh, pushed hard for an equaliser and finally got it in the 39th minute. Captain Achraf Hakimi reacted quickest after Haiti goalkeeper Johny Placide failed to hold onto a shot, bundling the rebound into the net.
The drama continued just four minutes later when Sunderland striker Wilson Isidor restored Haiti's advantage. The forward unleashed a powerful 31-yard strike that flew into the top corner, leaving Bounou helpless.
Morocco refused to panic and struck back before halftime. In first-half stoppage time, Ismael Saibari finished a low cross from Hakimi after an intelligent dummy from Brahim Diaz to make it 2-2.
The goal was historic. Saibari became the first African player ever to score in all three group-stage matches at a single FIFA World Cup.
Morocco dominated possession throughout the second half and finally took the lead in the 78th minute. Substitute Soufiane Rahimi controlled a corner kick before firing a shot that took a slight deflection and beat Placide.
The result was sealed in the 89th minute when Rahimi showed excellent determination to keep the ball in play before setting up fellow substitute Gessime Yassine for a simple finish.
Morocco ended the match with 69 percent possession, 19 shots and 12 efforts on target, compared to Haiti's seven shots and two on target.
Atlas Lions overtake Nigeria in World Cup history
The victory against Haiti was significant for more reasons than qualification.
Morocco's four goals took their overall World Cup tally to 26 goals, moving them ahead of Nigeria's 23 and making them the highest-scoring African nation in World Cup history.
The win was also Morocco's seventh victory at FIFA World Cup tournaments. That pushed them past Nigeria's previous African record of six World Cup wins.
Their record now stands at seven World Cup victories, while the Super Eagles remain on six.
Morocco had already established themselves as Africa's best-performing World Cup team after reaching the semifinals of the 2022 tournament in Qatar, the deepest run ever achieved by an African nation. Now, the Atlas Lions have added two more milestones to their growing list of achievements.
The Haiti match also brought another first. Morocco scored four goals in a World Cup match for the first time in their history and became the first Arab nation to qualify for the knockout rounds of the expanded 2026 tournament.
While Morocco and South Africa have already booked their places in the Round of 32, several other African countries remain in contention. Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Algeria and Cape Verde are all still fighting for qualification as the group stage enters its final round of matches.
