Morocco Defeats Netherlands in Penalty Shootout to Reach Round of 16

Kathmandu. Morocco has secured a place in the Round of 16 by defeating Netherlands 3-2 in a penalty shootout in the exciting final 32 competition of the FIFA World Cup 2026.

The winner was decided by a penalty shootout after the regulation 90 minutes and subsequent extra time ended in a 1-1 draw at the Estadio Monterrey in Mexico.

Cody Gakpo of the Netherlands gave the team the lead by scoring in the 72nd minute from a pass by Xavi Simons. However, in the injury time of the game, Ismael Saibari scored to bring Morocco back into the game from a pass by Hakim Ziyech.

After both teams failed to score additional goals in the 30 minutes of extra time, the game went into a penalty shootout. Morocco won the shootout 3-2 to secure their journey to the Round of 16.

In the penalty shootout, Morocco's Ismael Saibari converted the decisive shot into a goal. Meanwhile, Justin Kluivert, Jurrien Timber, and Xavi Simons of the Netherlands failed to score in the penalty shootout.

With this victory, Morocco has confirmed a meeting with Canada in the Round of 16, while the World Cup journey of the Netherlands, ranked sixth in the world rankings, has ended in the final 32.