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Morocco knock out Netherlands from FIFA World Cup 2026: Report 
30 Jun 2026

In a stunning turn of events, Morocco has knocked the Netherlands out of the FIFA World Cup 2026.

The match, which ended in a 1-1 draw after extra time at the Monterrey Stadium, was decided by a penalty shootout.

Ismael Saibari scored the decisive penalty that sent last year's semifinalists through.

This is now the earliest exit for Dutch football in World Cup history.

How did the match pan out?
Match highlights

Cody Gakpo put the Netherlands ahead in the 72nd minute with an assist from Crysencio Summerville.

However, Morocco's Issa Diop equalized in the 91st minute with a header from Chemsdine Talbi's cross.

The match went into extra time but neither team could score, leading to a penalty shootout at Estadio BBVA.

Key moments in the shootout
Goalkeeper's heroics

The penalty shootout was tied at 2-all after four rounds when Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou made a crucial save off Crysencio Summerville's shot.

Saibari then scored the winner, sending his team into the next round and eliminating Ronald Koeman and the Dutch.

This match had the highest combined ranking of any Round of 32 match, with Morocco at sixth and Netherlands at seventh in FIFA rankings.

Historic exit for the Netherlands
Historic exit

The Netherlands has now failed to reach the Round of 16 in a World Cup for the first time in their World Cup history.

They had reached at least this stage in their previous eight appearances, including a quarterfinal run four years ago.

Morocco will now face Canada in the last 16, having won a match that lasted nearly three hours and ended with an error-strewn shootout victory.

Here are the match stats
Stats

From seven attempts, Netherlands recorded three shots on target. Morocco managed six strikes on target from 12 attempts.

The Moroccan team had a stunning 70% ball possession in the game. They completed 780 passes with a fine 92% accuracy.

The Dutch team's passes count was 356. Their accuracy was 81%.

A look at the key landmarks
Landmarks 

As per Squawka, Cody Gakpo has now scored six World Cup goals for the Netherlands. Johnny Rep (7) is the only Dutch player with more.

Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, and Gakpo are the only strikers with three-plus goals both in the 2022 and 2026 World Cups.

Neil El Aynaoui had completed 100% of his passes in the first half versus Netherlands (27/27).