2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 32 Preview: Netherlands vs. Morocco

The group stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup has concluded, and the matchups for the Round of 32 have been revealed and are now underway.

The Netherlands, winners of Group F, will face Morocco in what is arguably the best and most competitive matchup of the Round of 32 in Monterrey, Mexico.

A remarkable stat for both teams is that the Netherlands haven’t lost a World Cup match in 90 minutes since 2006, while Morocco is unbeaten in 47 of its last 48 matches, which is why this is one of the most anticipated Round of 32 matchups.

Although both teams finished the group stage with seven points, Morocco finished second in its group behind Brazil due to goal differential.

Both teams enjoyed successful campaigns at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, with the Netherlands losing to eventual champions Argentina in the quarterfinals and Morocco making one of the most memorable runs in tournament history by reaching the semifinals before falling to France.

The Netherlands won two of their three group-stage matches against Tunisia and Sweden and played Japan to a thrilling 2-2 draw. They scored 10 goals across their three group-stage matches and enter this matchup against Morocco in excellent form.

Morocco is also entering the knockout stage with plenty of momentum, opening the tournament with a highly competitive 1-1 draw against Brazil before earning victories over Scotland (1-0) and Haiti (4-2).

Keep an eye on Dutch stars such as Virgil van Dijk, Brian Brobbey, Cody Gakpo and Crysencio Summerville to make the difference for the Netherlands. Morocco will rely on Ismael Saibari, who has scored three goals in the tournament, and Achraf Hakimi to help lead the way.