Morocco booked their place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 after coming from behind twice to defeat Haiti 4-2 in a thrilling Group C finale at Atlanta Stadium on Wednesday. Achraf Hakimi starred with a goal and an assist, while substitute Soufiane Rahimi inspired the second-half comeback as the Atlas Lions finished level on points with Brazil but second on goal difference.
Morocco endured a nightmare start after goalkeeper Yassine Bounou inadvertently turned the ball into his own net in the 10th minute while attempting to deal with pressure from Lenny Joseph. Haiti continued to frustrate the Atlas Lions and veteran goalkeeper Johny Placide produced an outstanding double save midway through the first half to preserve the lead.
The breakthrough for the Atlas Lions eventually arrived in the 39th minute when captain Hakimi blasted home the equaliser after the Haiti goalkeeper Johny Placide failed to get a strong enough hand to Brahim Diaz's strike. Haiti responded almost immediately, with Wilson Isidor restoring the lead four minutes with a goal of the tournament contender. Isidor took aim from 25-years out and unleashed a spectacular long-range screamer into the top corner.
Morocco drew level again deep into first-half stoppage time as Hakimi burst down the right flank before cutting the ball back for Ismael Saibari, who side-footed home to make it 2-2 at the interval.
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The Atlas Lions dominated possession after the restart and continued to pile pressure on Haiti, with Placide producing another excellent save to deny Bilal El Khannouss from distance. Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi then changed the complexion of the contest with a triple substitution that introduced Rahimi, Gessime Yassine and Azzedine Ounahi.
The changes paid immediate dividends in the 78th minute when Rahimi collected the ball inside the box, turned sharply and fired home via a deflection to give Morocco the lead for the first time. Eleven minutes later, Rahimi kept the ball in play near the byline before squaring for Yassine to tap into an empty net. A lengthy VAR review confirmed the ball had not crossed the line, sealing Morocco's fourth goal.
Bounou atoned for his early own goal in stoppage time with a superb fingertip save to deny Duckens Nazon from a free-kick before Morocco saw out the closing stages with 10 men after Sofyan Amrabat was forced off following a facial injury.
The victory saw Morocco finish second in Group C on seven points, behind Brazil on goal difference, and set up a Round of 32 meeting with the winners of Group F. Haiti ended their campaign bottom of the standings after three defeats despite scoring their first goals of the tournament in an impressive final outing.
Here's a look at the final Group C standings at the FIFA World Cup 2026.
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Brazil | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | +6 | 7 |
| 2 | Morocco | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | +3 | 7 |
| 3 | Scotland | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -3 | 3 |
| 4 | Haiti | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | -6 | 0 |
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