Moroccan superstar Achraf Hakimi has written his name into the football history books following his appearance in the highly anticipated Morocco vs Brazil match, opening the Group D campaign at the 2026 World Cup.
With this match, the Paris Saint-Germain full-back has become the joint-most capped African player in World Cup history, tying Ghana’s Asamoah Gyan and Cameroon’s François Omam-Biyik with 11 tournament appearances each. Hakimi is now just one match away from holding the record entirely on his own—a feat he could easily achieve in the upcoming group-stage fixtures against Haiti or Scotland.
Breaking National Records
At just 27 years old, Hakimi has also officially become the most capped Moroccan player in World Cup history, surpassing the previous national record held by his former teammate Hakim Ziyech.
Ziyech, who currently plays for Wydad AC, features in 10 World Cup matches across the 2018 Russia and 2022 Qatar editions. However, a recent dip in form over the last two years ultimately brought his international career to an end.
A Legendary World Cup Journey
Hakimi’s World Cup journey began as a teenager at Russia 2018. He then went on to become a foundational pillar of Walid Regragui’s historic squad that stunned the world in Qatar 2022. Now, he captains his nation in North America. Statistically, across his 11 World Cup appearances, Hakimi has contributed one assist—setting up Youssef En-Nesyri’s memorable goal against Canada in the 2022 group stage.
