Three-time World Cup runners-up the Netherlands take on Qatar 2022 semi-finalists Morocco in this standout Round of 32 showdown.
Round of 32
Tuesday, 30 June | Monterrey Stadium
Kick-off time
09:00 (GMT+8)
The match
The FIFA World Cup 26™ Round of 32 continues with the Netherlands taking on Morocco in Monterrey. The Oranje topped Group F after drawing with Japan and beating Sweden and Tunisia, while the Atlas Lions finished second in Group C following victories over Scotland and Haiti after an opening draw with Brazil.
The Netherlands are unbeaten in six previous World Cup matches against African opposition and have not lost a match at the tournament in normal or extra time since the 2010 final against Spain, a run stretching to 15 games. Morocco, meanwhile, are aiming to reach the Round of 16 for the second tournament in succession after their historic run to the last four at Qatar 2022.
Whoever emerges victorious will face either South Africa or Canada in the Round of 16 in Houston on 4 July.
Netherlands possible starting XI
Verbruggen; Dumfries, Van Hecke, Van Dijk, Van de Ven; Gravenberch, De Jong, Reijnders; Malen, Brobbey, Gakpo
Morocco possible starting XI
Bounou; Hakimi, Diop, Riad, Mazraoui; El Aynaoui, Bouaddi; Diaz, Ounahi, El Khannouss; Saibari
Previous World Cup meetings
The sides first met at the FIFA World Cup™ in 1994, when goals from Dennis Bergkamp and Bryan Roy earned the Netherlands a 2-1 victory in their Group F clash. Current Dutch coach Ronald Koeman started that match.
Away from the World Cup, Morocco reversed the scoreline in a 1999 friendly before the Oranje claimed another 2-1 victory when the teams most recently met in 2017. Current Dutch trio Nathan Ake, Marten de Roon and Memphis Depay are the only members of the current Oranje squad to feature in that 2017 encounter, while Sofyan Amrabat is the Atlas Lions’ sole survivor.
Monterrey Stadium
The breathtaking Monterrey Stadium will host its fourth and final match of the FIFA World Cup 2026 when Netherlands face Morocco. It was not a happy hunting ground for another North African side, with Tunisia losing 5-1 to Sweden and 4-0 to Japan in Group F. The third game was South Africa’s stunning 1-0 Group A victory over Korea Republic, which won Bafana Bafana a spot in the Round of 32. Mexican side Monterrey play their football in this modern-day marvel, which is equipped with compact energy solutions and low voltage equipment. The venue also hosted eight games at the 2022 Concacaf W Championship, including USA’s 1-0 final victory over Canada. Coldplay, Bad Bunny and Justin Bieber have performed at the ground in its opening decade.