Morocco secured a 4-2 victory over Haiti in Atlanta, confirmed a last-32 place, and then immediately set sights far higher, as head coach Mohamed Ouahbi urged the Atlas Lions to believe they can go all the way and lift the World Cup trophy next month.

The result ensured Morocco finished second in Group C on goal difference behind Brazil, collecting seven points from three matches. Haiti, appearing at a World Cup for only the second time after 1974, exited without a point but left the pitch having troubled Morocco for long spells.

Ouahbi spoke about a shift in mindset within the squad, linking it to Morocco’s recent progress on the global stage, including the landmark semi-final run at the 2022 tournament in Qatar, when Morocco became the first African nation ever to reach the last four.

“Morocco have entered a new stage. The players now believe in their ability, and opponents respect Morocco, he said. For that reason, our objective must be to win the World Cup. Winning the World Cup requires us to respect every team we face. I trust the work we are doing.”

The group finale was far from straightforward for Morocco. Haiti struck first when a Yassine Bounou own goal opened the scoring, and Wilson Isidor later added another, but Achraf Hakimi and Ismael Saibari both found the net before half-time to pull Morocco level at 2-2.

After the interval, Morocco gradually asserted control. Soufiane Rahimi then scored to put the Atlas Lions ahead, before Gessime Yassine added a late fourth. The two late goals finally killed off Haiti’s resistance and completed a scoreline that reflected Morocco’s attacking pressure.

Morocco World Cup records and African milestones

Morocco’s four goals against Haiti carried major historical weight for African football. It was the first time Morocco had scored four times in a single match at the tournament, and those goals lifted the Atlas Lions above Nigeria as Africa’s highest-scoring team in World Cup history.

That shift in the record books is clear from the numbers below, which also highlight how many different players have scored for each African nation at World Cups, after new names were added to Morocco’s list in Atlanta.

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With the victory, Morocco’s total moved to 26 World Cup goals, three more than Nigeria’s 23. Another landmark followed as Hakimi, Rahimi and Yassine each recorded a first World Cup goal, taking Morocco’s tally of different scorers to 19, again surpassing Nigeria, who have 16 players on their list.

Morocco World Cup path to the last 32

Attention now turns to the knockout rounds, where Morocco will face either Netherlands, Japan, or Sweden in the last 32. The identity of the opponent will be settled by other group results, but Ouahbi insisted that Morocco’s focus remains on their own performance.

Ouahbi underlined the strength of the entire Moroccan setup when looking ahead. “Regardless of who we face, we have a strong squad, an excellent staff and great supporters. We have everything we need to believe in ourselves.” The coach stressed that belief must be balanced with careful preparation.

Morocco World Cup test for Haiti and Migne’s reaction

For Haiti, the defeat meant a sixth loss in six World Cup matches across their two appearances. Head coach Sebastien Migne, however, highlighted the resilience shown against strong opposition and pointed to the broader significance for Haitian football after a long wait between tournaments.

Migne expressed both frustration and pride when assessing Haiti’s performance against Morocco. “I’m disappointed from a result standpoint, I would have liked for us to score more and win, but that being said, I didn’t feel as though the boys gave up. Even in challenging conditions after that third goal, I was worried we would collapse, he said. It has to do with the Haitians’ culture. They just don’t give up that easily. So they were a nice reflection of the culture of the country. They represented their country right. We managed to show that we were worthy of this qualification. We were in the right place. Now we need to make some improvements and not wait for another 52 years. It’s a ripe new chapter in the history of Haiti. We were very close to making history in this World Cup, and in case we couldn’t win, we wanted to leave the World Cup with our heads high, and I think we did that.”

While Haiti leave the competition, their showing against Morocco offered encouragement for future campaigns, especially after such a long absence from the tournament. For Morocco, the match confirmed growing confidence, reinforced historic scoring records, and set up another chance to test that belief in the World Cup knockout stages.