Morocco beat Haiti 4-2 in their Group C match in Atlanta on June 24, 2026, securing second place in the group and a place in the Round of 32. The victory also eliminated Haiti. Morocco registered 22 shots, 11 on target, in a match that twice forced the Atlas Lions to come from behind.
Soufiane Rahimi’s 78th-minute goal gave Morocco its first lead. Rahimi and Gessime Yassine came on as attacking substitutes around the 70th minute. In the 89th, Rahimi cut the ball back for Yassine to finish into an unguarded net. The late combination capped a spell of mounting Moroccan pressure and completed the scoring.
Yassine, 20 years and 214 days old, became Morocco’s youngest men’s World Cup scorer with his first goal at the tournament. Born in Salon-de-Provence, France, he won the 2025 FIFA Under-20 World Cup with Morocco before quickly rising through French football. Strasbourg signed the winger from Dunkerque in January 2026 on a contract through June 2030, in a move reported at approximately €7 million. In comments to AFP published by France 24, Yassine described his progress as living his dream and called scoring at the World Cup in front of family and supporters an incredible experience.
The result gave Morocco consecutive appearances in the World Cup knockout stage, a distinction previously achieved by only Nigeria and Ghana among African teams. Yassine’s goal marked a defining moment in his emergence, and Morocco’s advancement added another key stage on the international stage. Other World Cup matches have featured unexpected lineups and tactical shifts, including when Ecuador and Curazao battled for survival in Kansas City.
